A misdiagnosed cause of chronic pelvic pain: abscess with foreign body.

OBJECTIVE

Chronic pelvic pain may present a diagnostic challenge.

SETTING

Academic tertiary care center.

DESIGN

Case report.

CASE REPORT: A 46-year-old woman presented with pain on micturition and a 15-month history of right-sided pelvic pain aggravated by an abdominal massage. Her course and outcome, aided by use of computed tomography (CT) scan, is described, identifying a 6-cm, mass-like lesion in the right lower quadrant enclosing an ambiguous linear calcified lesion, which on laparotomy revealed a fish bone embedded in a section of the terminal ileum and the perivesical area.

CONCLUSION

Chronic pelvic pain refractory to treatment merits consideration of CT to examine for foreign body.