Silent Migration of a Swallowed Fish Bone into the Abdominal Wall That was Diagnosed and Treated 6 months After the Event

Abstract

We report a rare case of a swallowed fishbone that migrated into the abdominal wall. A 64-year-old man presented with an abdominal wall abscess. He had noticed the swelling of his navel over the previous 6 months and had developed a fever and pain 2 days before visiting his previous doctor. A computed tomography scan showed a high-density foreign body that had formed an abscess in his abdominal wall. Surgery was performed, and the foreign body was identified as a fish bone；a reddish induration in the ileum was also identified. The fishbone was removed, and a drain was placed. The patient was discharged 14 days after the operation. According to a careful history obtained from the patient, he had eaten a righteye flounder fish sometime before his navel became swollen. The swallowed fishbone may have traveled through the small intestine to the abdominal wall, where it formed an abscess.