OBJECTIVE: Retained surgical gauze left inside the patient during a surgical procedure is called textiloma or gossypiboma. Most often found in abdominal and pelvic cavities, retained gauze can cause a variety of symptoms, including fever, palpable mass and pain. Symptoms depend on the location (and possible migration) of the retained gauze and local tissue reaction (inflammatory or aseptic). DESIGN: Case report. SETTING AND PATIENTS: We present a case of a patient with lumbar pain and constipation caused by surgical gauze mimicking a tumor, which was retained from previous abdominal surgery performed almost 40 years prior. MEASURES: We discuss the diagnosis, treatment and prevention of retained surgical gauze. CONCLUSION: Retained surgical gauze occurrences are not as rare as they are widely considered to be, and clinicians should be aware of that. In reality, retained gauze can be extremely difficult to diagnose, especially if a patient presents after a very long asymptomatic period. Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
OBJECTIVE: Retained surgical gauze left inside the patient during a surgical procedure is called textiloma or gossypiboma. Most often found in abdominal and pelvic cavities, retained gauze can cause a variety of symptoms, including fever, palpable mass and pain. Symptoms depend on the location (and possible migration) of the retained gauze and local tissue reaction (inflammatory or aseptic). DESIGN: Case report. SETTING AND PATIENTS: We present a case of a patient with lumbar pain and constipation caused by surgical gauze mimicking a tumor, which was retained from previous abdominal surgery performed almost 40 years prior. MEASURES: We discuss the diagnosis, treatment and prevention of retained surgical gauze. CONCLUSION: Retained surgical gauze occurrences are not as rare as they are widely considered to be, and clinicians should be aware of that. In reality, retained gauze can be extremely difficult to diagnose, especially if a patient presents after a very long asymptomatic period. Wiley Periodicals, Inc.