Retained surgical sponge mimicking GIST: Laparoscopic diagnosis and removal 34 years after original surgery
A 70-year-old man, with a medical history of vagotomy for a peptic gastric ulcer (operated in another institution 34 years ago), had an incidentally discovered mass in the abdomen on plain chest radiography. The mass was 8 cm diameter and was located on left hypochondrium. The only symptomatology was mild bloating, started a few months before. The computerized tomography (CT) scan showed a heterogeneous and low-density mass, with peripheral calcifications, measuring 7.4 cm diameter. The presumptive diagnosis made by the radiologist was gastrointestinal stromal tumour (GIST) [].\nEndoscopic biopsy provided no additional information about the mass etiology, evidencing signs of external compression without mucosal lesion.\nThe patient was then submitted to laparoscopy. During the procedure, dissection showed a capsulated structure. After violation of the capsule and drainage of debris, a retained sponge was discovered []. An aseptic plastic material was used to wrap it for laparoscopic removal.