gastrointestinal disorders
Rectal Foreign Bodies
Introduction
Rectal foreign bodies are usually objects that have been inserted into the rectum but also may have been swallowed. Sudden and excruciating pain during defecation can be caused by a foreign body penetrating the anorectal wall. Diagnosis is by digital examination and sometimes imaging studies. Removal of a rectal foreign body may be of high risk and should be done by a surgeon or gastroenterologist skilled in foreign body removal. (See also Overview of Foreign Bodies in the Gastrointestinal Tract .) Gallstones, fecaliths, and swallowed foreign bodies (including toothpicks and chicken and fish bones) may lodge at the anorectal junction. Urinary calculi, vaginal pessaries, or surgical sponges or instruments may erode into the rectum. Foreign bodies, sometimes bizarre and/or related to sexual play, or drug packets inserted in an attempt to conceal them from law enforcement officials, may be introduced intentionally but become lodged unintentionally; occasionally perforation may occur during insertion. Some objects are caught in the rectal wall, and others are trapped just above the anal sphincter. 