Liu SQ, Li YF, Quan DW, Liu W. Magnetic-assisted detection and extraction of dispersed metallic foreign bodies in the abdominal cavity: A case report. World J Gastrointest Surg 2025; 17(5): 101414 [DOI: 10.4240/wjgs.v17.i5.101414]
Corresponding Author of This Article
Yu-Feng Li, PhD, Chief Doctor, Department of Pediatric Surgery, Guilin Maternal and Child Health Hospital, No. 26 Fengbei Road, Diecai District, Guilin 541001, Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, China. lyf791001@sina.com
Research Domain of This Article
Gastroenterology & Hepatology
Article-Type of This Article
Case Report
Open-Access Policy of This Article
This article is an open-access article which was selected by an in-house editor and fully peer-reviewed by external reviewers. It is distributed in accordance with the Creative Commons Attribution Non Commercial (CC BY-NC 4.0) license, which permits others to distribute, remix, adapt, build upon this work non-commercially, and license their derivative works on different terms, provided the original work is properly cited and the use is non-commercial. See: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/
World J Gastrointest Surg. May 27, 2025; 17(5): 101414 Published online May 27, 2025. doi: 10.4240/wjgs.v17.i5.101414
Magnetic-assisted detection and extraction of dispersed metallic foreign bodies in the abdominal cavity: A case report
Shi-Qi Liu, Yu-Feng Li, Dong-Wen Quan, Wei Liu
Shi-Qi Liu, Medical College, Xijing University, Xi’an 710123, Shaanxi Province, China
Yu-Feng Li, Department of Pediatric Surgery, Guilin Maternal and Child Health Hospital, Guilin 541001, Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, China
Dong-Wen Quan, The Second Clinical Medical School, Shaanxi University of Chinese Medicine, Xianyang 712000, Shaanxi Province, China
Wei Liu, Department of Engineering, Western Superconducting Technologies Company, Xi’an 710018, Shaanxi Province, China
Author contributions: Liu SQ conceptualized the study, designed the magnetic surgery approach, performed the operation, and drafted the manuscript; Li YF contributed to perioperative management and critically reviewed the manuscript; Liu W was responsible for the preparation and processing of magnetic instruments; Quan DW collected and analyzed the data and co-drafted the manuscript; all authors reviewed and approved the final version of the manuscript.
Supported by National Natural Science Foundation of China, No. 82170676; the Natural Science Foundation of Shaanxi Provincial Key Industries Innovation Chain (Cluster)-Social Development Project, No. 2020ZDLSF02-03; the Key Project of Shaanxi Province's 14th Five-Year Education Science Planning: Research on the Training Model for Top-notch Innovative Talents in Higher Education Institutions of Shaanxi Province, No. SGH24Z16; and the Xi'an Talents Plan Project, No. XAYC210064.
Informed consent statement: Informed consent was obtained from the patient and family for this study.
Conflict-of-interest statement: The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.
CARE Checklist (2016) statement: The authors have read the CARE Checklist (2016), and the manuscript was prepared and revised according to the CARE Checklist (2016).
Open Access: This article is an open-access article that was selected by an in-house editor and fully peer-reviewed by external reviewers. It is distributed in accordance with the Creative Commons Attribution NonCommercial (CC BY-NC 4.0) license, which permits others to distribute, remix, adapt, build upon this work non-commercially, and license their derivative works on different terms, provided the original work is properly cited and the use is non-commercial. See: https://creativecommons.org/Licenses/by-nc/4.0/
Corresponding author: Yu-Feng Li, PhD, Chief Doctor, Department of Pediatric Surgery, Guilin Maternal and Child Health Hospital, No. 26 Fengbei Road, Diecai District, Guilin 541001, Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, China. lyf791001@sina.com
Received: September 13, 2024 Revised: March 9, 2025 Accepted: April 17, 2025 Published online: May 27, 2025 Processing time: 251 Days and 17.3 Hours
Abstract
BACKGROUND
Gastrointestinal foreign bodies represent a significant clinical challenge in emergency and surgical settings. While accidental ingestion predominates in healthy adults, intentional ingestion is frequently observed in pediatric, psychiatric, and incarcerated populations. Metallic sewing needles, characterized by their sharp morphology and high mobility, pose particular risks of visceral injury and complications due to their penetrative potential. Although preoperative imaging facilitates initial localization, subsequent migration of multiple needles complicates therapeutic interventions, increasing procedural complexity and patient risk.
CASE SUMMARY
We present a novel application of magnetic-assisted localization in managing a complex case of intentional ingestion of 30 metallic sewing needles in a psychiatric patient. The widespread distribution of needles throughout the gastrointestinal tract necessitated an innovative surgical approach. Intraoperative implementation of cylindrical magnetic localization technology enabled precise identification and successful extraction of all foreign bodies while minimizing tissue trauma.
CONCLUSION
Magnetic-assisted localization represents an effective and safe technique to manage multiple magnetic gastrointestinal foreign bodies. This approach offers significant advantages in complex cases, particularly for needle-like metallic objects, and warrants consideration as a valuable tool in gastrointestinal surgery.
Core Tip: In cases involving the ingestion of multiple scattered magnetic needle-like foreign bodies in the digestive tract, cylindrical magnetic rods can be utilized to explore physiological bends or narrow areas prone to obstruction, facilitating precise localization and removal of the foreign bodies.
