A FORGOTTEN STATUS: GOSSYPIBOMA

INTRODUCTION

Gossypiboma is used to describe the forgotten cotton/gauze piece in the body after the surgical procedure. It is formed by the combination of the words “gossypium”, a Latin word for cotton, and the word “boma” in Swahili, which means the place of hiding¹. Although many different materials have been reported in the literature, cotton materials are among the most forgotten objects. Though there is no consensus, the incidence is given as 0.01-0.001%. Gossypiboma, which is more common after abdominal and pelvic surgery, has also been reported after thoracic surgery, spinal, orthopedic, and breast surgery^2,3.

This article aimed to present five gossypiboma cases.