Postoperative textilomas: review of 14 cases.

BACKGROUND: Textile materials of surgical origin are found in the abdominal cavity in between 1/1300 and 1/1500 laparotomies, in spite of preventive measures. It is very difficult to ascertain the exact incidence due to the lack of descriptions in the literature. METHODS: Fourteen cases of postoperative foreign bodies or textilomas are reported. The cases were collected from two hospital centers between 1985 and 1997. RESULTS: There were 12 intra-abdominal cases, 1 thoracic and 1 paravertebral. In 8 (57.1%) diagnosis was made preoperatively by radiological techniques. The mortality rate was 14.2% with 2 deaths due to multiorganic failure in one case and sepsis in the other. Both patients were over 70, with malignant pathology. The morbidity rate was 21.4%, wall abscesses which evolved favorably being the most frequent cause of complications. CONCLUSIONS: Prevention of this complication is the best treatment. It is advisable to use textile material with radiopaque contrast, to count the pieces of material to be used and perform an X-ray before the laparotomy is closed specially in emergency (bleeding and trauma patients) because in these complex cases the possibility of material being left behind is more advisable.