Tongue Cleaner, An Unusual Foreign Body in the Urethra: A Case Report

Below:  Radiograph of pelvis and upper thigh depicting the foreign body with approximately half of its length inside the urethra and a loop at the inserted end

Below:  An intra-operative image depicting the vertical perineal incision and the looped inserted end (Black Arrow) perforating through bulbar part of urethra and the other end of the tongue cleaner (White Arrow)

A foreign body in the lower urinary tract in males is rather uncommon but several cases of insertion of foreign bodies such as pins, wires, screws or ball point pens have been reported. The most common causes of such incidents are psychiatric illness or intoxication, and autoerotic stimulation. Most cases occur in adult males. We report a single case of a patient who inserted a metallic tongue cleaner, a long and complex foreign body in his urethra.

A 40-year-old male presented with a partially inserted tongue cleaner in his urethra with one end projecting from the urethral meatus and with a history of bleeding and pain. After a gentle attempt of removal using local anaesthetic gel the patient was scheduled for its surgical removal under anaesthesia.

Large complex foreign bodies may be not amenable to endoscopic removal and may warrant open surgical procedure. Urethral stricture should be suspected in such patients. A psychiatric visit should be recommended for all adult males with self-inflicted foreign body in the urethra.

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