At first glance, its white, curved appearance may give the impression that it is an egg. But it is not that.
The object got stuck in a teenager’s intestines after he inserted it into his anus – and doctors struggled to get it out.
The 14-year-old from Australia panicked to find he couldn’t retrieve or push it out.
A 14-year-old boy was given laxatives after doctors struggled to remove a golf ball (X-ray) he had pushed up his butt
Doctors attempted to remove the golf ball (X-ray) using six different grasping devices, including a suction cup, medical net and a grasper
He reported his mistake – which happened to a golf ball – to his mother, who took him to the nearest emergency room.
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Medics at the Royal Adelaide Hospital were told he was unhurt.
The boy, who has not been identified, also admitted to unsuccessfully trying to throw the ball out through feces.
X-rays showed it had entered his sigmoid colon, the last part of the colon that connects to the rectum.
Doctors attempted to remove the golf ball using six different retrieval devices, including a suction cup, medical gauze, a four-pronged grasper and a balloon catheter.
After two hours, medics stopped the “aggressive” procedures in the hope that the golf ball would come out on its own.
However, an X-ray taken 24 hours later showed it was still there.
Since the family was unwilling to subject the boy to further physical removal efforts, the doctors decided to administer a large dose of laxatives.
The boy was given a liter of laxative – which three hours later led to the “successful evacuation” of the golf ball.
“After the patient passed the golf ball, he remained clinically healthy and was discharged the same day,” the researchers said.
“There was no evidence of intestinal injury.”
Doctors found the golf ball was in his sigmoid colon – the part of the colon closest to the rectum and anus
Doctors attempted to remove the golf ball using six different capture devices, including a suction cup, medical gauze (left), a four-pronged gripper and a balloon catheter (right).
They added that the boy “is advised not to insert any other objects into his rectum in the future.”
Doctors concluded: “A golf ball presents unique technical challenges for removal from the colon due to its mechanical properties.
“These include the large size, spherical shape, incompressibility and the presence of dimples that prevent a suction seal.”
They added that potential patients with foreign bodies who do not have impaired bowel function should first be given laxatives to induce vomiting of the object on its own.
The case was reported in Case Reports in Surgery magazine.
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Crystal Leahy is an author and health journalist who writes for The Fashion Vibes. With a background in health and wellness, Crystal has a passion for helping people live their best lives through healthy habits and lifestyles.
