The Foreign Body: A collection of the most interesting X-rays of things that don't belong and the stories behind how they got there!

by Andrew Del Gaizo

With x-rays and accounts of true cases, radiologist Andrew Del Gaizo introduces the public to the "foreign body", a term well known in the medical community for objects in locations where they don't belong. Whether you are a seasoned physician or have no ties to the medical profession, the text is written in a manner that everyone can enjoy... and gasp in disbelief! "How could he possibly swallow those?" "She fit that in there?" "How will the doctors remove that!?" The answers are inside... The book focuses on interesting x-rays of foreign bodies that brought patients to emergency rooms and is written without complex medical terminology so that everyone can benefit from it. X-rays are shown as "unknowns" to let the reader guess what the foreign body is. Occasionally, a clue is provided to get started. But, as a picture is worth a thousand words, often the image does the talking! On the next page, the foreign body is explained, along with how it got there. Often why it’s there is as interesting as the image itself. Of course, all patient identifying information has been removed or changed to protect patient privacy and anonymity. The x-rays are broken down into 3 categories. Category 1: Ingested or Inhaled The mouth innocuously enough accepts foreign bodies. Unfortunately, there are tight areas within the gastrointestinal tract where these items can get stuck. Furthermore, some objects (such as sharp items or certain types of batteries) can be dangerous or toxic if not retrieved. Category 2: Introduced Welcome to the gun and knife show. Whether inadvertently caused by the patient or inflicted by someone else intending harm to the patient, x-rays play an important role in characterizing and localizing the weapons used. In addition to their medical relevance, these x-rays often end up in forensics, delineating the type and trajectory of the weapon involved. Category 3: Inserted Last but not least…the XXX-rays. Technically, these foreign bodies can be classified as introduced. However, given the “unique” circumstances under which many of these cases present, they deserve a category of their own.

120 pages, Paperback

First published February 19, 2013

Reviews

[Jeff · Rating 3 out of 5]

The title speaks for itself. As funny as you would expect a book like this to be.