Key points
- In Lviv, urologists removed a mercury thermometer from the bladder of a 42-year-old patient, which had been there for about 8 years.
- The foreign body was completely encrusted with a stone – it was detected by ultrasound and confirmed by CT scan.
- The stone caused a pressure sore on the bladder wall and the formation of a vesicovaginal fistula.
- The first stage involved removing the thermometer along with the stone, followed by reconstructive surgery to eliminate the fistula.
Urologists at the University Hospital of the Danylo Halytsky Lviv National Medical University removed a mercury thermometer that had been in the bladder of a 42-year-old patient for about 8 years.
The woman turned to doctors with complaints of pain in the lower abdomen, frequent urination, and incontinence.
She lives in the Lviv region and, for reasons of privacy, wished not to disclose her identity and the cause of the disease.
During the ultrasound examination, we saw a formation in the bladder that looked like a large stone with a rod inside. To accurately determine the nature of this formation, we referred the woman for a CT scan. It was the CT scan that provided a clear answer: there was a mercury thermometer in the bladder, which had been completely encrusted with a stone over the years.
– urologist Vasyl Matviiiv.
The stone that formed around the foreign body caused a pressure sore on the bladder wall and led to the formation of a vesicovaginal fistula. Due to this, the patient requires staged surgical treatment and prolonged recovery.
At the first stage, the doctors removed the foreign body along with the stone. After the wound heals and the infectious process is eliminated, the woman will undergo reconstructive surgery to eliminate the fistula.
Doctors note that any foreign body in the bladder over time leads to the formation of stones and becomes the cause of chronic symptoms.
Read also:
The Ministry of Education launches the National System of Researchers with scholarships for 2,650 scientists
