A story of a successful hunt for long-lost needles

Introduction: There are various case reports of intraluminal foreign body following a clear history of ingestion commonly presenting in pediatrics or in patients with a psychiatric background.

Case Presentation:We present a rare cause of unusual foreign bodies evident within the abdomen, radiologically. There was no history of ingestion nor insertion. 70-year-old male has been suffering from chronic abdominal pain, presented to the emergency department with acute lower abdominal pain. He had previous splenectomy with distal pancreatectomy 23 years ago and laparotomy (adhesiolysis) 5 years back. He sought medical opinion on several occasions whereby, based on his intricate surgical history, adhesions were a possible culprit. This admission with acute pain warranted a thorough review of past history and a closer radiological investigation. These showed historical presence of sewing needles for 3 years.

Conclusion:Foreign body can manifest acute inflammatory response, however if not removed can cause scarring and chronic pain as seen in this case. Although evident in radiological images over period of pain recurrence, this was not identified as a cause.