Multiple ingested sewing needles presenting as chronic abdominal pain in a child: a 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.

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BibTeX RIS

BibTeX

@article{tilahun2026multiple,
  title = {{Multiple ingested sewing needles presenting as chronic abdominal pain in a child: a case report}},
  author = {Eden Belay Tilahun and Oluka Denis and Tommy Wobudubire and Achola Teddy and Muhumuza Albert and Felix Oyania},
  journal = {International Journal of Surgery Case Reports},
  year = {2026},
  month = sep,
  doi = {10.1097/rc9.0000000000001072},
  url = {https://doi.org/10.1097/rc9.0000000000001072},
  note = {CC BY-NC-ND 4.0},
}

RIS

TY  - JOUR
TI  - Multiple ingested sewing needles presenting as chronic abdominal pain in a child: a case report
AU  - Eden Belay Tilahun
AU  - Oluka Denis
AU  - Tommy Wobudubire
AU  - Achola Teddy
AU  - Muhumuza Albert
AU  - Felix Oyania
PY  - 2026
DA  - 2026/09/29
JO  - International Journal of Surgery Case Reports
DO  - 10.1097/rc9.0000000000001072
UR  - https://doi.org/10.1097/rc9.0000000000001072
AB  - 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.
SN  - 2210-2612
ER  -

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