CASE REPORT article
Front. Surg.
Sec. Genitourinary Surgery and Interventions
Successful Transurethral Endoscopic Removal of a Toothpick Embedded in the Bladder Wall: A Rare Case Report
Provisionally accepted
- 1泌尿外科, The People's Hospital of Leshan, Leshan, China
- 2The Affiliated Hospital of Yunnan University, Kunming, China
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Background: This report describes a rare case of a wooden toothpick embedded in the bladder muscular layer and shares the experience of successful diagnosis and treatment. Case Presentation: A 29-year-old female patient with a history of cesarean section was admitted due to persistent lower abdominal pain and dysuria lasting one month. Preoperative three-dimensional CT imaging was performed, using a crucian carp with an inserted injection needle as a density reference. Density comparisons between the foreign body, needle, and fishbone suggested that the foreign body was unlikely a retained needle or fishbone. Considering the patient's dietary habits, it was suspected that the object was an accidentally swallowed wooden toothpick. The patient underwent ultrasound-guided transurethral surgery, during which a wooden toothpick approximately 3.4 cm long, 4 mm wide at its midsection, with a rough surface, was successfully removed. Postoperative imaging confirmed the complete removal of the foreign body, and the patient recovered well. During a six-month follow-up, the patient reported no urinary or abdominal symptoms. Conclusion: A detailed patient history and imaging studies are crucial for diagnosing unexplained bladder foreign bodies. Ultrasound-guided transurethral cystoscopic surgery is an effective method for removing bladder foreign bodies. This case provides valuable insights for managing and treating similar complex cases.
Keywords: bladder foreign body, ultrasound-guided transurethral surgery, wooden toothpick ingestion, unexplained abdominal pain, CT three-dimensional imaging
Received: 14 Jul 2025; Accepted: 11 Nov 2025.
Copyright: © 2025 Ma, Guo, Cao, Cai, Yu and Zhou. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
* Correspondence: Tao Ma, 464352631@qq.com
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