Foreign Bodies in the Rectum: A Review

Abstract

Foreign bodies which lodge above the anal sphincter mechanism may arrive from one of two portals of entry, the mouth or the anal canal. Ingestion of a foreign body is usually unknown to the patient, who presents with symptoms due to impaction and minor injury to the rectal ampulla or anal canal. The patient may have severe anal pain or sepsis associated with the foreign body. The diagnosis is usually obvious on examination under an anaesthetic, but before this there may be a difficult diagnostic problem. Foreign bodies passed into the rectum through the anal sphincter are more common and show an extreme variety. The reasons for insertion are discussed. Management of the problem includes extraction of the foreign body and the recognition and treatment of any associated injury, both extraperitoneal and intraperitoneal. Minor extraperitoneal injuries may be treated expectantly, but in all intraperitoneal and major extraperitoneal injuries laparotomy and colostomy are required. It is stressed that most foreign bodies can be removed transanally, and laparotomy to remove the foreign body is rarely required.