Occasionally a foreign body may lodge or enter the appendix.
Foreign bodies that have lodged at the orifice to the appendix or entered its lumen:
(1) toothpick
(2) dog hair (especially if thick)
(3) pin
(4) key
(5) dental drill bit or prosthetic material
(6) bone
(7) seed
(8) buckshot or lead shot
(9) screw
(10) stones (not to be confused with a fecalith)
(11) sand
The interval between when a foreign body is swallowed and the patient experiences appendicitis can be many years. Antonacci et al report a patient who developed appendicitis 15 years after swallowing a bone.
Consequences of the foreign body entering the appendix:
(1) nothing (silent)
(2) right lower quadrant pain
(3) appendicitis
(4) perforation
Some foreign bodies can be visualized on imaging studies. The presence of barium contrast material within the lumen of the appendix following an imaging study should not be confused with a foreign body.
Sometimes the foreign body can be removed by colonoscopy if it can be reached.
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