Laparoscopic removal of a foreign body from the intestine.

Foreign bodies are often introduced into the gastrointestinal tract of both adults and children. At times this is intentional and at others it is accidental. The doctor is usually faced with the problem of deciding whether to apply expectant treatment, endoscopy or surgery to obtain an optimum outcome. The management depends on the type of object, the organ affected, the type of symptoms and the condition of the patient in deciding if, when and how to intervene. A case is reported here where a method not previously described was used to retrieve a sewing needle from the distal ileum.