[A step-up approach for dealing with rectal foreign bodies].

Patients visiting a hospital with retained rectal foreign bodies can no longer be considered rare and the incidence appears to increase. Currently, little is known about management of patients with retained foreign bodies and there are no medical protocols for situations like this. There is no limit to the type of objects inserted into the anal canal, exposing clinicians to diagnostic and therapeutic dilemmas. Standardised algorithms for patients with retained foreign bodies are needed to avoid serious complications such as perforation or peritonitis. In this article, we present a 59-year-old, 57-year-old and 29-year-old male who visited the emergency department with inserted rectal foreign bodies and we propose a stepwise approach for dealing with retained rectal foreign bodies.