Rectal foreign body - Definition

Rectal foreign bodies are a common occurrence in hospital emergency rooms. In general, large foreign bodies found in the rectum can be assumed to have been inserted through the anus, rather than reaching the rectum via the mouth. It is often assumed that such cases are generally due to sex play by the patients or their sexual partners, although a great many patients deny this, claiming that the object was somehow inserted accidentally, for example by "slipping in the shower".

Sometimes smaller foreign bodies, such as bones eaten with food, can be found stuck in the rectum.

Rectal foreign bodies, and amateur attempts to remove them, can result in perforation of the bowel, a life-threatening medical emergency.

Medical literature covers examples of items retrieved from patients' rectums in extreme detail. Rectal foreign objects are also the subject of a number of urban legends.

References

• Busch D B, Starling J R. Rectal foreign bodies: Case reports and a comprehensive review of the world's literature. Surg 1986; 100: 512-519.

External links

• Cynsa's Rectal Foreign Bodies page (http://www.well.com/user/cynsa/newbutt.html)
• NCEMI - Rectal foreign body (http://www.ncemi.org/cse/cse0612.htm)
• eMedicine gastrointestinal emergency medicine (http://www.emedicine.com/emerg/topic933.htm)
• Medical Journal of Australia (http://www.mja.com.au/public/issues/xmas98/mkinnon/mkinnon.html)
• Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh (http://www.edu.rcsed.ac.uk/Case%20Presentations/CP22.htm)
• British Dental Journal case report: Don't forget your toothbrush! (http://www.nature.com/cgi-taf/DynaPage.taf?file=/bdj/journal/v191/n1/full/4801082a.html) (subscribers only - with useful bibliography)