Frequency of Trauma by a Foreign Body in Rectum. Experience of 20 Years at the Hospital Civil of Guadalajara

AbstractIntroduction: The introduction of foreign bodies into the rectum is a frequent practice considered as proctological emergency.Objective: We report our experience in trauma by a foreign body in the rectum during over 20 years in the Thoraco-abdominal Trauma Surgery Service of Civil Hospital Fray Antonio Alcalde of Guadalajara, Jalisco, México.Materials and Methods: Retrospective cross-sectional study (1999-2018) carried out with data recorded in the hospital’s archives., patients of both sex with a age rank of 15 to 91 years were included.Results: There were a total of 194 patients, including 169 males and 25 females, with a predominant age range from 30-44 years with 75 cases (38%). The incidence was between 1999 and 2010 of 4.0 ± 2.1 patients per year, against 15.4 ± 8.8 cases between 2011-2018. Proctorrhage was the predominant sign (56 patients), followed by foreign-body sensation (49 patients) and abdominal pain (41 patients). Diagnosis was based mainly on digital rectal examination (100%) and plain abdominal x-ray (94%). Manual extraction was performed in 82 % of the cases, laparotomy 10 cases (5%) and colonoscopy in 5 cases (2.5%). The main complication was mucosal tear in 50 cases (57%), skin and mucosa tear in 12 cases (14%), and perforation in 8 cases (9%).Conclusions: The frequency of foreign bodies into the rectum is increasing and constitutes a real challenge for the surgeon due to the enormous diversity of variables.