Endoscopic removal of intrauterine device penetrated through the rectal wall

Abstract

Following sterilization, intrauterine devices (IUDs) are the most widely used contraceptives in the world, especially in developing countries (1). Nowadays, IUDs are made of plastic, metal (mainly copper) and a small string. Uterine perforation is found in 1/350-1/2.500 inserts. It leads to the migration of the IUD, usually to adjacent organs to the uterus such as the rectum. Also there are reports of devices in the peritoneum, omentum, appendix and colon (2,3). We report a case of partial migration of an IUD into the lumen of the rectum, which was diagnosed and successfully removed by colonoscopy.