PURPOSE: Anal problems due to ingested foreign bodies are rare and usually present as acute anal pain. However, various clinical presentations are possible. This study was performed to identify the diverse manifestations of and the outcomes of treatments for anal diseases caused by ingested foreign bodies. METHODS: Between September 1995 and June 2003, seven patients were treated for anal diseases due to the impaction of ingested foreign bodies in Seoul National University Hospital and Daehang Hospital. We retrospectively reviewed the medical records of those unusual patients. RESULTS: All patients were males, and their mean age was 49.4 yr (range, 37 to 74 yr). The detected foreign bodies were fish bones (n=3), fish fins (n=2), a chicken bone (n=1), and a toothpick (n=1). Four patients had acute anal pain as the primary symptom while two patients presented anal pus discharge, and one patient presented anal bleeding. In the four patients with acute anal pain, the foreign bodies were easily found on digital rectal examination and inspection with anoscopy. Those patients underwent simple removal of the foreign body at the outpatient clinic. In three patients, the foreign bodies were found during surgery for hemorrhoids or fistulas. The two fistulas detected were complex types and needed seton placement. CONCLUSION: Anal problems caused by ingested foreign bodies usually involve acute anal pain, but our results indicate that, in some cases, the anal foreign bodies are also the cause or an aggravating factor in chronic anal disease.
Ambulatory Care Facilities ; Chickens ; Digital Rectal Examination ; Eating ; Fistula ; Foreign Bodies ; Hemorrhage ; Hemorrhoids ; Humans ; Male ; Medical Records ; Retrospective Studies ; Suppuration

Vegetative electrode infection after implantation of permanent pacemaker or defibrillator is an uncommon but a serious complication. Diagnosis of the lead infection is particularly important since surgical manipulation is usually required for its treatment. We present 3 cases of electrodes related infective endocarditis among the 154 patients who implanted pacemaker or defibrillator between 2001 and 2004 in Korea university hospital. These complications were difficult to diagnose because of ambiguous clinical manifestations and indeterminate transthoracic echocardiographic (TTE) findings and were finally confirmed by transesophageal echocardiography (TEE).
Defibrillators ; Diagnosis ; Echocardiography ; Echocardiography, Transesophageal* ; Electrodes* ; Endocarditis* ; Humans ; Korea ; Pacemaker, Artificial