Bowel perforation caused by swallowed chicken bones--a case series.

Abstract

Most foreign bodies pass through the gastrointestinal tract without any consequence. A very small percentage perforate the bowel, leading to acute abdomen and requiring surgical intervention. In most cases, the cause is discovered peroperatively. Foreign bodies such as dentures, fish bones, chicken bones, toothpicks and cocktail sticks have been known to cause bowel perforation. Three cases of bowel perforation caused by swallowed chicken bones within a period of one year are presented.