Hysteroscopic removal of a gauze inadvertently retained in uterus for two years following caesarean section

Abstract

Despite the worldwide accomplishment of manual counting procedures of surgical textiles and instruments, cases of retained (forgotten) surgical items (RSIs) still occur. Gauzes are the most frequently RSIs, accounting for 90% of the cases because they are widely used. Approximately half of the cases occur in the context of general surgery procedures, fol- lowed by gynaecological – obstetrics surgery. The time inter- val between initial surgery, diagnosis and removal of the gauze is clinically relevant, as the morbidity and mortality are reduced if the foreign body is removed immediately after the offending operation. We report on a successful hysteroscopic identification and removal of a gauze inadvertently forgotten in utero two years after a C-Section in a symptomatic woman.