Doctors in Australia discovered a piece of orthodontic wire in a 30-year-old woman’s digestive tract—10 years after she underwent orthodontic treatment.
The woman went to the emergency room as a result of worsening abdominal pain over the course of 2 days. Initially doctors suspected the pain was the result of a gallstone, but a CT scan revealed a wire-shaped object in her small intestine. During emergency surgery, doctors discovered a 7 cm piece of wire had penetrated several parts of her small intestine.
The woman recovered completely and suffered no further complications.
When questioned, the woman, who had not worn orthodontic braces for 10 years, did not remember ever swallowing a piece of wire or having a wire go missing during her orthodontic treatment.
The case was published in BMJ Case Reports on August 7, 2017.
