History: 42 yo male with progressive chest pain.
Solution: Gossypiboma
Gossypiboma is the official term for a retained surgical sponge. It comes from the Latin word \"gossypium\" which means cotton and the Swahili word \"boma\" which means place of concealment. In this case, you can see the lap sponge radio-opaque string over the right lower chest. The patient had undergone chest wall surgery three months prior and was developing a progressive infection around the retained sponge. You must be familiar with the appearance of retained instruments and sponges.
Gossypiboma is the official term for a retained surgical sponge. It comes from the Latin word \"gossypium\" which means cotton and the Swahili word \"boma\" which means place of concealment. In this case, you can see the lap sponge radio-opaque string over the right lower chest. The patient had undergone chest wall surgery three months prior and was developing a progressive infection around the retained sponge. You must be familiar with the appearance of retained instruments and sponges.
Radiograph Images
