Vaginal discharge in a 2-year-old patient caused by an alkaline battery: A case report

Abstract

Vaginal foreign bodies are infrequent events; their occurrence due to an alkaline battery is far rarer. This report is about a vaginal discharge in a 2-year-old child due to inserting an alkaline battery into her vagina. A 2-year-old child presented with lower abdominal pain, vaginal pain, and brownish-black vaginal discharge for a duration of 7 hours. A physical examination revealed a soft abdomen, while she had a swollen and erythematous vulva. A pelvic X-ray showed a radiopaque shadow of an alkaline battery in the pelvic region. Vaginoscopy was done under general anesthesia using a 9.5 Fr semi-rigid ureteroscope. The battery was grasped and extracted from the vagina using stone grasping forceps. She was discharged on oral and topical antibiotics. Vaginal FBs are a rare phenomenon, especially in children under three years of age. It is essential to recognize that the differential diagnosis of vaginal discharge in young children can be a vaginal FB.

Keywords

• Vaginal discharge
• Vaginal foreign body
• Child abuse