Retention of Nonabsorbable Hemostatic Materials (Retained Surgical Sponge, Gossypiboma, Textiloma, Gauzoma, Muslinoma) After Spinal Surgery: A Systematic Review of Cases Reported During the Last Half-Century

Objective: Retention of nonabsorbable hemostatic materials (RNHMs), that is, retained surgical sponge, gauzoma, gossypiboma, muslinoma, or textiloma, is a rarely seen surgical complication after spinal surgery that may remain asymptomatic for many years and may represent a diagnostic difficulty with associated medicolegal implications.

Methods: We performed a systematic review of the English-language literature published between 1965 and 2017, accessed through 4 popular databases. We found a total of 37 articles (24 case reports; 7 image presentations; 5 clinical series, and 1 letter to editor) containing 58 cases of RNHMs located within the spinal canal or around the spinal column after surgery.

Results: In this study, there were 29 female and 29 male patients from 13 countries, ages ranging from 17 years to 87 years, with initial diagnoses of lumbar or cervical disc herniation, spinal stenosis, or spondylolisthesis (n = 54), or spinal tumor (n = 4). The interval from the initial surgery to the presentation of RNHMs ranged from 13 days to 40 years, with a mean of 75.9 months. Various imaging techniques such as computed tomography and magnetic resonance imaging were used with histologic study, confirming the presence of RNHMs in the majority of patients with a complete recovery resulting in 93% of patients.

Conclusions: RNHMs is an overreported entity in underdeveloped or developing countries, including Turkey and Morocco, with progression occurring over years. RNHMs should be considered in the differential diagnosis of any patient who presents with back pain, spinal cord, or nerve roots symptomatology after spinal surgery.