Endoscopic retrieval of a surgical gauze from the common bile duct

Non-parasitic foreign bodies in the common bile duct are rare and usually require laparotomy. We report the successful removal by endoscopy of a surgical gauze seven years after a simple cholecystectomy. The foreign body had been cholangiographically misdiagnosed as a large stone. The possibility of a foreign body that has migrated into the common bile duct should be considered in patients with cholangitis. Endoscopic sphincterotomy is the procedure of choice, though other extraction techniques may occasionally be necessary.