Rectal foreign bodies: A case report and review of the literature

Rectal foreign bodies (RFB) present the modern surgeon with a difficult management dilemma, as the type of object, host anatomy, time from insertion, associated injuries and amount of local contamination may vary widely. Reluctance to seek medical help and to provide details about the incident often makes diagnosis difficult. Management of these patients may be challenging, as presentation is usually delayed after multiple attempts at removal by the patients themselves have proven unsuccessful.

In this article we report the case of a male who presented with a large ovoid rectal object wedged into his pelvis. As we were unable to extract the object with routine transanal and laparotomy approach, we performed a pubic symphysiotomy that helped widen the pelvic inlet and allow transanal extraction.

We review currently available literature on RFB and propose an evaluation and management algorithm of patients that present with RFB.

Management of patients with rectal foreign bodies can be challenging and a systematic approach should be employed. The majority of cases can be successfully managed conservatively, but occasional surgical intervention is warranted. If large objects, tightly wedged in the pelvis cannot be removed with laparotomy, pubic symphysiotomy should be considered.