A Case of Perforation of Gastrointestinal Tract Caused by Accidental Ingestion of Magnets at Different Times

Abstract

The patient was a boy aged 4 years and 10 months. He was transferred to our hospital because abdominal X-ray images showed foreign bodies forming a ring shape. The child revealed that he had ingested neodymium magnets, so we performed an emergency removal of the magnets. Nine magnets that attached to the posterior wall of the stomach were removed by upper gastrointestinal endoscopy. Colonoscopy revealed no magnets in the colon. Five magnets remained in the small intestine, and we followed up the patient expecting spontaneous excretion. However, abdominal X-ray images obtained over time showed no movement of the magnets; thus, emergency surgery was performed. It was revealed that nine magnets in the stomach and one magnet buried in the stomach wall were attached to four other magnets inside the small intestine through the transverse colon and its mesocolon. After removing the remaining five magnets, the perforated walls of the stomach, small intestine, and transverse colon were repaired. It is very important to perform a whole-body search at the first visit as children may repeat accidental ingestion without symptoms such as abdominal pain. Magnets that are accidentally ingested may pinch the digestive tract walls and cause perforation, penetration, or obstruction. Therefore, we should perform surgery as early as possible.