Perforation of the transverse colon by a fish bone: a case report

The inadvertent swallowing of foreign bodies is common, but rarely results in perforation of the gastrointestinal tract. Because any site of the gastrointestinal tract may be perforated by a foreign body, the clinical presentation may vary and mimic diverse medical conditions. We report the case of a 60-year-old man who experienced left upper quadrant pain of 4 weeks duration before the onset of peritoneal signs. The symptoms were shown to result from perforation of the transverse colon by a fish bone (35 mm in length) with a developing abscess.