[Current radiologic diagnosis of retained surgical gauze]

Four cases are presented of surgical compresses retained in the abdominal cavity that were studied by simple radiology, gastrointestinal transit, echography and/or computerized tomography. Depending on their location, they appeared as heterogeneous intra- or extraluminal masses, often containing air or calcifications. The radiological findings, as well as the existence of surgical antecedents, allowed the preoperative diagnosis of the lesion in all the cases.