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Liver abscess secondary to a broken needle migration--a case report
Chintamani1, Vinay Singhal, Parminder Lubhana
1Department of Surgery and Radiology, Vardhman Mahavir Medical College, Safdarjang Hospital, New Delhi-110023, India. chintamani7@rediffmail.com
BMC Surgery
|October 9, 2003
Summary
A rare case of a sewing needle migrating to the liver caused a hepatic abscess. Surgical removal of the foreign body led to a full recovery, highlighting the importance of clinical suspicion for such unusual presentations.
Area of Science:
- Gastroenterology
- Hepatology
- Radiology
Background:
- Perforation of the gastrointestinal tract by sharp metallic objects is uncommon.
- Migration of these foreign bodies to unusual sites, such as the liver, is exceedingly rare.
- Symptoms are often non-specific, making diagnosis challenging without a clear history of ingestion.
Observation:
- A case of a broken sewing needle lodged in the liver, leading to a hepatic abscess.
- The patient presented with recurrent pyrexia over a year, initially treated at a primary health center.
- The foreign body was discovered incidentally during radiological examination.
Findings:
- The hepatic abscess was successfully drained, and the foreign body (sewing needle) was retrieved via exploratory laparotomy.
- The patient experienced symptom resolution post-surgery.
- One-year follow-up confirmed a satisfactory recovery with no recurrence.
Implications:
- Ingested foreign bodies lodging in the liver and presenting as abscesses are rare but possible.
- Diagnosis relies on high clinical suspicion and imaging, particularly ultrasound.
- Surgical retrieval of the foreign body is the primary management, with open surgery often preferred for abscess drainage and exclusion of fistulas.