Incidental finding of a needle in the root of the mesentery of an 11-month-old boy: A case report

Foreign body (FB) ingestion is very common in the pediatric population. Children will have different presentations based on their age, size, type, and site of the ingested FB. Some children can present with serious complications, others can be completely asymptomatic.

An eleven-month-old male child, previously healthy, was following up with the family medicine department for a routine visit. A pelvic x-ray was done to rule out developmental dysplasia of the hip, and a needle was found incidentally in the small bowel loops. The child was completely asymptomatic. Daily radiographs were taken three days in a row and showed that the needle was still in place. The patient was then referred to the pediatric surgery department for laparoscopic exploration and removal of the needle before complications occur. During exploration, the needle was found at the root of the mesentery. The needle was taken out uneventfully without the evidence of perforation.

It is unusual to find a sharp FB located at the root of the mesentery in a completely asymptomatic infant as an incidental finding. Serial radiographic images after the initial presentation of foreign body ingestion is important to guide us through surgical intervention.