Laparoscopic removal of intragastric foreign bodies.

Ingestion of foreign bodies is a common happening for prison inmates. When such bodies do not pass, endoscopic or surgical retrieval is necessary. The authors report the case of a young patient in whom endoscopy failed to retrieve several intragastric foreign bodies. He was treated successfully by laparoscopic gastrotomy. The authors think that this approach is a valid alternative to laparotomy.