Case Report
Copyright ©2012 Baishideng Publishing Group Co., Limited. All rights reserved.
World J Gastrointest Surg. Jan 27, 2012; 4(1): 20-22
Published online Jan 27, 2012. doi: 10.4240/wjgs.v4.i1.20
Swallowing a safety pin: Report of a case
Emmanuel Isaac Benizri, Charlotte Cohen, Jean Marc Bereder, Amine Rahili, Daniel Benchimol
Emmanuel Isaac Benizri, Charlotte Cohen, Jean Marc Bereder, Amine Rahili, Daniel Benchimol, Department of General Surgery and Digestive Cancerology, Centre Hospitalier Universitaire de Nice, Hôpital de l’Archet 2, Nice 06200, France
Author contributions: Benizri EI conceptualized and wrote the paper; Cohen C and Bereder JM provided patient’s data; Benizri EI and Rahili A provided clinical care; all authors contributed to analyzing the patient’s data and revising the manuscript.
Correspondence to: Emmanuel Isaac Benizri, MD, PhD, Department of General Surgery and Digestive Cancerology, Centre Hospitalier Universitaire de Nice, Hôpital Archet 2, 151 Route de Saint Antoine de Ginestière, B.P. 3079, Nice Cedex 3, France. benizri.e@chu-nice.fr
Telephone: +33-492-036335 Fax: +33-492-036478
Received: February 11, 2011
Revised: October 27, 2011
Accepted: December 10, 2011
Published online: January 27, 2012
Abstract

Ingestion of a foreign body is a frequent and well-known medical problem with several diagnostic and therapeutic approaches. Usually, ingested foreign bodies pass through the alimentary tract without incident. In some cases, they can be lodged in the appendix and may cause appendicitis. We report a case of a 29-year old woman, suffering from mental illness, with a safety pin lodged in the appendix. Initially, the patient consulted for abdominal pain. After a period of waiting, during which time the foreign body did not move, a colonoscopy was performed but failed to see the safety pin. Then, the patient underwent a laparoscopic appendectomy. Pathological examination showed an ulcerative appendicitis.

Keywords: Appendectomy, Appendix, Foreign body, Laparoscopy