Identification of a Retained Surgical Sponge Using Magnetic Resonance Imaging

Nabors, Michael W.; McCrary, M E; Clemente, R.; Albanna, F J; Lesnik, R H; Pait, T. Glenn; Kobrine, Arthur I.

doi:10.1227/00006123-198604000-00023

Cited by 28 publications

(15 citation statements)

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“…Surgically acquired foreign bodies are well known but not widely reported [5,9,10]. A MEDLINE search under "retained surgical sponge" was conducted covering 1965 to 1999, and 82 articles were found.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Fifty-eight reports mention retained surgical sponges after abdominal, gynecological, or urological operations, and 13 concern intrathoracic procedures. However, only seven reports pertaining to neurosurgical operations were found, either cranial [8,11] or spinal [3,4,9,10,12]. Undoubtedly, retained surgical sponges occur much less commonly after spinal operations than after those in the abdominal cavity [10], but it seems that the current volume of literature represents an underestimation of the incidence of surgically retained foreign body infections [9].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Cottonoids are more commonly lost than sponges, and retained sponges are found more often in cases involving bilateral laminar exposure; this is well known but not readily reported [9]. Ford CT scans obtained after myelography reveal nonhomogeneous enhancement described two patients with retained cottonoids after lumbar spine operations [3] and Gifford reported a retained sponge after laminectomy [4].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Although retained surgical sponges are well known intraoperative complications, they are not widely reported [5,9,10]. They may remain asymptomatic for many years but could also entail complications of neurological impairment and infection resembling those from missile and penetrating injuries to the spine and thus should be seriously regarded as hazardous [9].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…They may remain asymptomatic for many years but could also entail complications of neurological impairment and infection resembling those from missile and penetrating injuries to the spine and thus should be seriously regarded as hazardous [9]. Neurosurgical procedures particularly at risk are spinal operations with wide exposure of the spine.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 4 more Smart Citations

Retained surgical sponges, a denied neurosurgical reality? Cautionary note

Marquardt¹,

Rettig²,

Lang³

et al. 2001

Neurosurg Rev

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Surgically acquired foreign bodies are well known but not widely reported. Only seven articles pertaining to this subject were found in the current neurosurgical literature. Are they a denied neurosurgical reality? In this report with a concededly provoking title, the authors elucidate clinical and medicolegal aspects of retained surgical sponges, with emphasis on spinal procedures. To highlight particulars, a case is presented in which a retained surgical sponge was encountered as the cause of progressive low back pain and tender swelling in the scar area after instrumented posterolateral lumbar spinal fusion combined with pedicle screw fixation for lumbosacral spondylolisthesis 4 years earlier. However, until today, no reported neurosurgical patient has suffered a serious complication due to a retained surgical sponge. The authors wish to remind the neurosurgical community to learn from unpleasant clinical and medicolegal experiences in other specialties before serious complications occur, and we suggest rigorous standardization of intraoperative habits to avoid this hazardous complication.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%