Abstract

Background: Retained foreign bodies after surgery constitute an occasional misadventure in modern surgery and cause returns to the operating room. Approximately, two-thirds of retained objects are sponges. Methods: We report on a 10-year-old boy presenting with a retained surgical sponge that had migrated completely into the lumen of the ileum. Removal was performed by laparotomy and ileotomy. Radiological and intraoperative findings are discussed, and a review of the recent relevant literature is provided. Results: Laparotomy revealed an intraluminal 30 cm long lap sponge (25 cm in the ileum and 5 cm in the cecum) which had completely migrated into the interior of the intestine. Complications, i.e., adhesion bands and fistulae, were treated subsequently. Conclusions: The case highlights the importance of a careful count of sponges before and after surgery and thorough exploration of all quadrants of the abdomen at the termination of surgical cases. © Springer-Verlag 2005.