INTRA-ABDOMINAL GOSSYPIBOMA RETAINED FOR 30 YEARS, MIMICKING RETROPERITONEAL TUMOR: CASE REPORT

Abstract

The word gossypiboma derives from the Latin gossypium, meaning cotton, and the Swahili Boma, hiding place. The term refers to surgical items of textile matrix inadvertently left inside cavities after closure of the surgical wound. In the literature, its incidence is around 1% of abdominal surgeries, but it is believed that there is underreporting. It can cause nonspecific symptoms such as abdominal pain and abscess at the beginning of the condition, or progress to intestinal obstruction, fistulas and rectal extrusion if retained for a prolonged time.  The present study aims to report the case of a patient with a history of total hysterectomy for 30 years, admitted with obstruction to the emergency room of a tertiary hospital, where exploratory laparotomy was indicated and hypothesized retroperitoneal tumor during the procedure was raised. After discussing the case in a clinical meeting, the hypothesis of gossypiboma was raised and a reapproach was chosen, which confirmed the finding of a foreign body in the abdominal cavity.

DOI:https://doi.org/10.56238/sevened2024.029-019