Intraperitoneal Foreign Body as a Cause of Acute Abdomen in Pregnancy

Bruce Chen; J. Benjamin Hall; Joseph P. Bruner

doi:10.1055/s-2007-994415

American Journal of Perinatology, Table of Contents

Am J Perinatol 1995; 12(2): 100-101
DOI: 10.1055/s-2007-994415

ORIGINAL ARTICLE

Intraperitoneal Foreign Body as a Cause of Acute Abdomen in Pregnancy

Bruce Chen, J. Benjamin Hall, Joseph P. Bruner

Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Tripler Army Medical Center, Honolulu, Hawaii, and Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, Tennessee
The opinions expressed are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect those of the Department of the Army or the Department of Defense

Abstract

ABSTRACT

Although surgical textbooks commonly include foreign bodies in the differential diagnosis of acute abdomen, this cause of abdominal pain has not been reported in the obstetric literature. A 35-year-old woman presented at 24 weeks' gestation with right lower quadrant pain and peritoneal signs. The only abnormal finding at exploratory laparotomy was a free-floating intraperitoneal foreign body, presumably left inadvertently during prior surgery. The differential diagnosis of acute abdomen in pregnancy should include intraperitoneal foreign body in any woman with a history of previous abdominal surgery.

Keywords

Acute abdomen - foreign bodies - abdominal pain

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