Abstract
This paper deals with a case of perforation of the appendix due to a fish bone, together with 48 cases of foreign objects of the appendix reported during recent ten years as well as 27 reported cases of appendicitis or appendiceal perforation due to fish bones.
A 56-year-old man with a 2-day history of right lower abdominal pain was referred to the hospital. Abdominal ultrasonography and abdominal CT scan showed a swollen appendix and a dot-like structure in the lumen of appendix. Thus appendectomy was performed with a diagnosis of acute appendicitis with enterolith. It disclosed that the entire appendix had swollen and a fish bone 2.5cm in length had penetrated the end of the appendix.
Foreign objects of the appendix are frequently caused by fish bones in our country and are prone to perforation. Preoperative diagnosis of appendicitis or appendiceal perforation due to a fish bone is often difficult, however, the presence of a fish bone must be considered if some linear structure is demonstrated by abdominal imaging studies. Further, in diagnosing a patient complaining of right lower abdominal pain with an abdominal tumor, we must keep in mind that an ingested fish bone may cause perforation of the appendix and form an inflammatory tumor.
