A sewing needle in the liver: a case report and literature review

Abstract

Intrahepatic foreign bodies are rarely reported. Although rare, a few reports of swallowed foreign bodies straying into the liver from the gastrointestinal tract have been published. Herein, we report a case in which an asymptomatic intrahepatic needle was removed laparoscopically. An 81-year-old woman presented to our hospital with an abnormal shadow on her abdominal X-ray image. Abdominal computed tomography displayed a needle-like shadow obliquely lying in the lateral segment of the left lobe of the liver. No subjective symptoms were reported; however, the patient underwent laparoscopic extraction. The postoperative course was good, and the patient was discharged without any complications. We also present a literature review of 27 patients with intrahepatic foreign bodies, a sewing needle.