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Gastrointestinal Perforation Caused by Neodymium Magnet Toys: A Dangerous Foreign Body with Super-Strength

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Abstract
Ingestion of neodymium magnets can cause serious complications in children. Making the
decision of treatment is difficult because of nonspecific clinical presentation. We report 2
unusual cases of multiple gastrointestinal perforations with closed loop caused by ingestion of multiple bead-shaped neodymium magnets, which are different from the case caused by ingestion of typical magnets. In the first case, the patient was a 2-year-old boy with multiple jejunal perforations. In the second case, the patient was a 19-month-old girl with gastric and proximal jejunal perforations. Patients presented mild and nonspecific symptoms. Exploratory laparotomy was performed, which led to an uneventful postoperative course in both cases. Popular magnet toys composed of small bead-shaped neodymium magnets have different characteristics from typical magnets. They are enough small to swallow easily with greater magnetic force than typical magnets. When multiple neodymium magnets are ingested, they can attract with greater strength across bowel loops, causing pressure necrosis, perforation. However, patients can only present mild and nonspecific symptoms at the time of visit hospital because perforation sites were sealed by magnets which attract each other with great force. Therefore, surgeons should have a high index of suspicion for gastrointestinal perforation in any patient who has ingested multiple magnets, particularly composed of neodymium, presenting with persistent nonspecific abdominal pain.
All Author(s)
G. J. Song ; J. H. Yun ; H. I. Jung ; T. S. Ahn ; M. W. Son ; S. W. Han ; S. H. Bae ; S. Y. Kim ; M.-J. Baek ; M. S. Lee
Issued Date
2020
Type
Article
Keyword
MagnetNeodymiumPediatric emergency medicineIntestinal perforationSurgery
ISSN
2383-5036 ; 2635-8778 ; 2635-8786
Citation Title
Advances in Pediatric Surgery
Citation Volume
26
Citation Number
2
Citation Start Page
83
Citation End Page
83
Language(ISO)
eng
DOI
10.13029/aps.2020.26.2.83
URI
http://schca-ir.schmc.ac.kr/handle/2022.oak/1165
Appears in Collections:
외과 > 1. Journal Papers
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