Mdct imaging of gastrointestinal tract perforation due to foreign body ingestion

The ingestion of sharp, hard, pointed, or elongated alimentary foreign bodies (FBs) may complicate with gastrointestinal (GI) perforation. As the clinical symptoms are nonspecific and patients often do not remember the FBs ingestion, imaging plays a fundamental role for diagnosis. MDCT, with the high spatial resolution and the high quality of the reconstructed images, allows to accurately identify the presence and site of GI perforation. Moreover, carefully analyzing MDCT axial and reformatted images with a high index of suspicion increases detection rate of metallic or calcified (such as fish or chicken bones) FBs, thus improving patient’s management and prognosis.