AN INTERESTING CASE OF PEDIATRIC INTESTINAL OBSTRUCTION

Foreign body ingestion is a potentially serious clinical problem in children. We report a case of an 18-month-old female child who developed complete bowel obstruction requiring laparotomy due to ingestion of a superabsorbent polymer ball with advertised growth up to 400 times its original size. Most ingested foreign bodies that pass through the pylorus will make it safely through the gastrointestinal tract. This is not true for water-absorbing balls that progressively increase in size and cause intestinal obstruction. These rapidly expanding objects can cause significant morbidity, and timely diagnosis and treatment are prudent to improve patient outcomes.