Multiple ingested sewing needles presenting as chronic abdominal pain in a child: a case report
Year: 2026
Type: article
Study design: Case Report
Abstract: Background: Foreign body ingestion is a common pediatric emergency, most often encountered in children younger than 5 years. Cases involving non-accidental ingestion are rare and carry important safeguarding implications. Delayed presentation following ingestion of multiple sharp foreign bodies is rare. Case presentation: A 9-year-old boy presented with an 8-month history of chronic abdominal pain, melena, weight loss, and poor appetite. He had been repeatedly treated for peptic ulcer disease without improvement. Imaging revealed multiple radiopaque foreign bodies throughout the gastrointestinal tract. The patient had ingested 46 sewing needles, both individual and bundled, as well as fragments of a pen casing. He expelled one needle per rectum. Forty-three needles were removed by open surgery, with enterotomies and guided extraction by piercing the bowel wall. Postoperatively, he had persistent abdominal pain, and abdominal radiography showed two retained radiopaque foreign bodies, necessitating re-laparotomy. The remaining two needles were successfully retrieved without evidence of bowel leakage or perforation, and the patient subsequently made an uneventful recovery. Conclusion: Chronic abdominal pain in children is rarely caused by retained foreign bodies. Sewing needles can safely be removed by enterotomy or guided extraction through the bowel wall in selected cases. Multiple foreign body ingestions should raise suspicion of non-accidental injury and warrant a safeguarding evaluation.
Institution: Mbarara University of Science and Technology
Language: English
Topic: Foreign Body Medical Cases
Subfield: Otorhinolaryngology
Field: Medicine
Domain: Health Sciences
Open Access status: gold
Estimated APC paid: $2,090
OpenAlex ID: W7225694445