Late presentation of an intra-abdominal foreign body.

Bowel obstruction by a foreign body is rare. The authors describe the case of a 77-year-old woman who had small-bowel obstruction due to a foreign body 40 years after a transabdominal hysterectomy. A loop of small bowel had herniated through a metal ring and had become necrotic. The ring and involved bowel were excised and the patient's clinical course was uncomplicated. The original purpose of the ring remains a mystery. The time frame between the introduction of a foreign body and the occurrence of symptoms in this case appears to be the longest ever reported.