The usefulness of magnification in postgastric magnetopathy

Magnification of a radiographic image using the PACS magnification tool or a magnifying glass can establish that an apparently cylindrical foreign body in the abdomen is actually several magnets attached to one another. There are several reports of abdominal complications from the presence of more than one magnet lying beyond the stomach (postgastric magnetopathy). Such groups of attached magnets have been mistaken for solitary cylinders, and this potential misinterpretation also occurred at initial viewing of images from two of seven of our patients with this condition. Because there is generally no risk of complications from one magnet, the distinction is important.