Rectal foreign body

Rectal foreign body
Classification and external resources
ICD-10	T18.5
ICD-9-CM	937

Radiograph of a male abdomen with a vibrator in the rectum.

Rectal foreign bodies are large foreign items found in the rectum that can be assumed to have been inserted through the anus, rather than reaching the rectum via the mouth and gastrointestinal tract. Smaller, ingested foreign bodies, such as bones eaten with food, can sometimes be found stuck in the rectum upon x-ray.

Rectal foreign bodies, and amateur attempts to remove them, can result in perforation of the bowel, which is a life-threatening medical emergency. Rectal foreign objects are also the subject of a number of urban legends.

Instances

Rectal foreign bodies are not an unusual occurrence in hospital emergency rooms.^[1]

Medical literature contains numerous reports of items retrieved from patients' rectums.^[2][3][4] Reported objects have included, among other items: ^[2]

• Seven light bulbs
• A knife sharpener
• Two flashlights
• A wire spring
• A snuff box
• An oil can with potato stopper
• Eleven different forms of fruit, vegetables and other foodstuffs
• A jeweler's saw
• A frozen pig's tail
• A tin cup
• A beer glass
• A collection of spectacles, a suitcase key, a tobacco pouch and a magazine

See also

• Đorđe Martinović
• Foreign body in alimentary tract
• Urethral foreign body insertion
• Butt plug

References

1. Feigelson, S; Maun, D; Silverberg, D; Menes, T (2007). "Removal of a large spherical foreign object from the rectum using an obstetric vacuum device: A case report". The American surgeon 73 (3): 304–6. PMID 17375796.
2. Busch, D. B.; Starling, J. R. (1986). "Rectal foreign bodies: case reports and a comprehensive review of the world's literature". Surgery 100 (3): 512–519. PMID 3738771.
3. Akhtar, M.; Arora, P. (2009). "Case of unusual foreign body in the rectum". Saudi Journal of Gastroenterology 15 (2): 131. doi:10.4103/1319-3767.48973.
4. Khan, S. A.; Davey, C. A.; Khan, S. A.; Trigwell, P. J.; Chintapatla, S (2008). "Munchausen's syndrome presenting as rectal foreign body insertion: A case report". Cases Journal 1 (1): 243. doi:10.1186/1757-1626-1-243. PMC 2572607. PMID 18925957.

External links

• eMedicine gastrointestinal emergency medicine
• Medical Journal of Australia
• British Dental Journal case report: Don't forget your toothbrush! (subscribers only - with useful bibliography)