DefinePK

Abstract

Gossypiboma is the technical term for a surgical complication resulting from foreign materials, such as a surgical sponge, accidentally left inside a patient's body. The term "gossypiboma" is derived from the Latin gossypium (cotton) and the Swahili boma (place of concealment) and describes a mass within a patient's body comprising a cotton matrix surrounded by a foreign body granuloma.1 The actual incidence of gossypiboma is difficult to determine, possibly due to a reluctance to report occurrences arising from fear of legal repercussions, but retained surgical sponges is reported to occur once in every 3000 to 5000 abdominal operations. The incidence of retained foreign bodies following surgery has a reported rate of 0.01% to 0.001%, of which gossypibomas make up 80% of cases.