Urethral foreign body management: a case report

The management of urethral foreign bodies may require the use of various surgical techniques in a urologist's armamentarium. We report a unique case of a urethral foreign body requiring percutaneous and endoscopic techniques for removal.     

A mysterious pacemaker suture: an uncommon foreign body reaction

Surgical suture material is usually inert and nontoxic and causes minimal inflammation of tissue. However, foreign body reactions to various suture types can lead to granuloma, abscess, or even sinus formation. We report an elderly female who was incidentally detected to have a mass protruding from the incision site which was confirmed histopathologically a chronic granulomatous reaction to non absorbable suture. The foreign body granulomatous reaction to suture material in the setting of pacemaker implantation has not been described in the literature. We also discuss the existing literature on this underrecognised entity.     

Esophageal duplication cyst containing a foreign body

About 10% to 15% of all duplication cysts in the alimentary tract are esophageal. Esophageal duplication cysts are intimately attached to the alimentary tract, are lined by mucous membrane and have smooth muscle. This paper describes a 2-year-old child who presented with symptoms of progressive respiratory distress. A diagnosis of esophageal duplication cyst was made. At surgery a low cervical incision was made and the sternal manubrium split, thereby providing adequate exposure. The cyst was then removed. The most useful investigations were chest roentgenography and barium esophagography. Computerized tomography showed a small, round foreign body in the middle of the cyst that was subsequently found to be a bingo chip. Communication between the cyst and the esophagus was not obvious at the time of surgery and had not been demonstrated by barium esophagography. When complete excision of the cyst is not possible because of inflammatory reaction all the mucosa must be removed to prevent recurrence. Careful postoperative respiratory support and broad-spectrum antibiotic therapy are recommended.     

Intestinal obstruction by an unusual foreign body

The case is described of a patient with complete small bowel obstruction 13 days after swallowing a condom containing hashish. Treatment by enzymatic dissolution was obviously impossible. The small bowel was emptied preoperatively by a Dennis long-tube, and the impacted bolus was removed by enterotomy.     

Pulmonary hypertensive response to foreign body microemboli

Pulmonary hypertension and foreign body granulomas are recognized sequelae of chronic intravenous drug abuse. We have recently described the development of transient pulmonary hypertension and increased permeability pulmonary edema after the intravenous injection of crushed, suspended pentazocine tablets in both humans and dogs. To determine the role of vasoactive substances in the development of this transient pulmonary hypertension, we measured pulmonary hemodynamics and accumulation of arachidonic acid metabolites in dogs during the infusion of indomethacin, a cyclooxygenase inhibitor, diethylcarbamazine (DEC), a lipoxygenase inhibitor, and FPL 55712, a receptor antagonist for leukotriene C4/D4 (LTC4/D4). Following the intravenous administration of crushed, suspended pentazocine tablets (3-4 mg/kg of body weight), mean pulmonary artery pressure increased from 14 +/- 2 mmHg to 30 +/- 6 mmHg (p less than 0.05) at 60 secs with a concomitant increase in plasma concentrations of 6-keto-PGF1 alpha from 187 +/- 92 pg/ml to 732 +/- 104 pg/ml and thromboxane B2 from 206 +/- 83 pg/ml to 1362 +/- 117 pg/ml (both p less than 0.05). Indomethacin prevented the increase in both cyclooxygenase metabolites, but had no effect on the pulmonary hypertension. In contrast, DEC had no effect on the increase in cyclooxygenase products, but blocked the pulmonary hypertension. FPL 55712 did not effect either the increase in cyclooxygenase metabolites or the pulmonary hypertension. We conclude that the transient pulmonary hypertension, induced by the intravenous injection of crushed, suspended pentazocine tablets, is not mediated by cyclooxygenase products but may be mediated by lipoxygenase product(s) other than LTC4/D4.     

Chromosomal aberrations in foreign body tumorigenesis of mice

Sarcomas were induced in 107 male and female isogeneic CBA/H or CBA/H-T6 mice by subcutaneous implantation of double films of unplasticized vinylchloride-acetate copolymer, 15 x 22 x 0.2 mm in size. Tumors were grouped by chromosome number. G-banding was performed on chromosomes of (a) 12 sarcomas, (b) 6 specimens of preneoplastic cells derived from foreign body (FB)-reactive tissues at 4, 6, 9, and 16 months postimplantation, and (c) 11 sarcomas which developed from clonal lines of the preneoplastic cells studied. Karyological analyses lead to the following results and conclusions: (1) Various derangements in chromosome number occurred in preneoplastic cells during early FB reaction at the time of, and possibly in causal relation to carcinogenic initiation. (2) Structural abnormalities of specific chromosomes (insertions, translocations, transpositions, etc.) were found as stable cell markers only during late preneoplasia. They may thus contribute to advanced tumor progression. (3) Ploidy deviations of specific chromosomes (secondary to the early derangements in chromosome number) were most frequently seen in chromosomes 1, 6, 7, 13, 15, 18, and 19; however, these latter aberrations were unstable and inconsistent both in vivo and in vitro.