Linear Foreign Body
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Publication Date: 2006-06-30
Findings
On the lateral radiographs, there is an area of small intestine with very small gas bubbles. The walls of the small intestine appear undulating in this region.
Diagnosis
Linear foreign body (bikini string).
DDx
Discussion
Linear foreign body is a specific type of small intestinal obstruction caused by plastic, string, and other long, flexible objects. The foreign body often gets anchored around the base of the tonge or in the pylorus, and the string enters the small intestine. The peristaltic waves cause the intestine to bunch on the immobile foreign body, causing the radiographic sign of plication.
The characteristic radiographic findings in linear foreign body are plication of small bowel (think of the waistband of drawstring pants), foreign material in the pylorus on a right lateral radiograph (surrounded by air and suspended at the pylorus), and small, angular or crescent-shaped gas bubbles in the small intestine.
Linear foreign body can be diagnosed definitively on radiographs. In less clear cases, both abdominal ultrasound and an upper GI study are diagnostic.
3 images
References
- Hoffmann KL. Sonographic signs of gastroduodenal linear foreign body in 3 dogs. Vet Radiol Ultrasound 2003;44:466-469.