"Necklace of magnets" in the abdomen: an unusual case with "multiple" bowel perforations

Med J Armed Forces India. 2024 May-Jun;80(3):365-368. doi: 10.1016/j.mjafi.2022.09.015. Epub 2022 Dec 5.

Abstract

Magnetic foreign body ingestion poses a threat especially if more than one is ingested. If consumed alone, small magnetic foreign bodies are likely to pass without significant event; however, when multiple magnets are ingested, they can be attracted to each other through the intestinal wall, which may lead to serious consequences and complications, including bowel perforation, obstruction, peritonitis, and death. We report a case of a 2-years male child patient presented with multiple small round magnetic beads ingestion from a magnetic pendant that appeared like a necklace pearl after conglomeration on abdominal radiograph. On exploration, we found multiple perforations involving ileum, cecum, and transverse colon, with multiple conglomerated beads extruding from the perforation sites.

Keywords: Bowel perforation; Foreign body ingestion; Magnetic beads; Magnetic foreign body.

Publication types

  • Case Reports