A patient with pica may ingest a specific material or a range of items. In most cases the material passes through the gastrointestinal tract. However, some objects are more likely to be retained.
Some examples of problematic items: glass, bone, sharp objects, wood, metallic objects
Typical background of patient: mentally retarded, psychiatric disorder, prisoner
Items that are retained:
(1) items with length > 6 cm
(2) sharp object
(3) materials that can form a bezoar
(4) barbed materials
Sharp objects can cause perforation of the bowel wall.
Several of the items listed above can cause bowel obstruction.
Metallic objects can be found on imaging with some ease, while others may be more difficult to locate prior to surgery. Some of these items can be found using contrast material.
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