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Mesenteric textiloma early discovery in a 31-year-old female: A case report
Jeannot Baanitse Munihire1, Moise Muhindo Valimugighe2, Nyundo W Martin3
1Faculty of Clinical Medicine and Dentistry, Department of Surgery, Kampala International University Western Campus, Ishaka-Bushenyi, Uganda; Faculty of Medicine, Université Catholique la Sapientia de Goma, Goma, Democratic Republic of the Congo.
Introduction And Importance:
Textilloma or Gossypiboma refers as surgical sponges left behind in the surgical field during surgery. Although rare, occur commonly in practice and such cases are rarely encountered in the literature due to their under-reporting. A retained surgical sponge is an avoidable surgical complication that can lead to patient morbidity, mortality and profound medico-legal implications.
Case Presentation:
We report a case of intra-abdominal textiloma discovered early in a 31-year-old woman who underwent cesarean section due to placenta previa.
Discussion:
This complication in our surgical practice is still relevant despite the popularization of the World Health Organization checklist.
Conclusion:
The purpose of reporting this case is to awaken practitioners to be more vigilant and avoid such circumstances.
Insights
Retained surgical sponges, known as textiloma or gossypiboma, are preventable complications. Vigilance is crucial to avoid patient harm and medico-legal issues, even with checklists.
Area of Science:
- Surgical Safety
- Medical Complications
Background:
- Textiloma (gossypiboma) refers to surgical sponges unintentionally left in the patient post-operation.
- While rare, retained surgical sponges are an avoidable complication with significant patient morbidity, mortality, and medico-legal consequences.
- Under-reporting contributes to the limited literature on this surgical error.
Purpose of the Study:
- To highlight the continued relevance of retained surgical sponges in clinical practice.
- To emphasize the need for increased practitioner vigilance in preventing surgical textiloma.
- To underscore the importance of avoiding this complication despite established safety protocols.
Main Methods:
- Case report of an intra-abdominal textiloma.
- Patient details: 31-year-old woman.
- Procedure context: Cesarean section for placenta previa.
Main Results:
- Early discovery of intra-abdominal textiloma.
- Successful identification of the retained surgical sponge.
Conclusions:
- Retained surgical sponges remain a relevant concern in surgical practice.
- The World Health Organization checklist, while valuable, does not eliminate this risk.
- Enhanced vigilance is essential for surgical teams to prevent textiloma.
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