A dental brace wire was found in a woman's bowel after 10 years. It was only discovered after she was admitted to hospital following two days of worsening stomach pain, explain doctors in the online journal BMJ Case Reports.
A scan showed that the wire had pierced several parts of the small bowel, causing the intestine to twist around on itself—a condition known as a volvulus.
The 30 year old said that she had not worn a dental brace for a decade, and didn't remember having swallowed the wire or having lost it.
The wire was surgically removed, and the woman made a full recovery with no further complications.
More information: Talia Shepherd et al. Orthodontic braces come back to bite: a novel presentation of a small bowel volvulus, BMJ Case Reports (2017). DOI: 10.1136/bcr-2017-221152
Journal information: BMJ Case Reports
Provided by British Medical Journal
