Case Report
Copyright ©The Author(s) 2005. Published by Baishideng Publishing Group Inc. All rights reserved.
World J Gastroenterol. Aug 21, 2005; 11(31): 4927-4929
Published online Aug 21, 2005. doi: 10.3748/wjg.v11.i31.4927
Calcified reticulate rind sign: A characteristic feature of gossypiboma on computed tomography
Yi-Ying Lu, Yun-Chung Cheung, Sheung-Fat Ko, Shu-Hang Ng
Yi-Ying Lu, Yun-Chung Cheung, Sheung-Fat Ko, Shu-Hang Ng, Department of Diagnostic Radiology, Chang Gung Memorial Hospital, Taiwan, China
Yun-Chung Cheung, Sheung-Fat Ko, Shu-Hang Ng, College of Medicine and School of Medical Technology, Chang Gung University, Taiwan, China
Author contributions: All authors contributed equally to the work.
Correspondence to: Shu-Hang Ng, MD, Department of Diagnostic Radiology, Chang Gung Memorial Hospital at Linkou, 5-Fu-Shing Street, Kwei Shan, TaoYuan, Taiwan, China. shng@adm.cgmh.org.tw
Telephone: +886-3-3281200-2574 Fax: +886-2-25469220
Received: December 17, 2004
Revised: January 5, 2005
Accepted: January 13, 2005
Published online: August 21, 2005
Abstract

We herein report a gossypiboma resulting from a retained surgical swab, which had been left in peritoneum for 20 years after appendectomy. CT revealed a cystic mass with a calcified reticulate rind. Subsequent surgery and pathological examination showed a gossypiboma. A simple experiment, using a barium-soaked surgical swab demonstrating similar CT appearance, supported our postulation that calcium deposition on the reticulated fibers of a surgical swab could generate such a characteristic “calcified reticulate rind” sign. We believe that identification of this CT sign facilitates the diagnosis of gossypibomas.

Keywords: Gossypiboma; Textiloma; Retained surgical swab; CT