Textiloma mimicking soft tissue tumor: an uncommon complication of posterior lumbar surgery

Textiloma (from Greek <i>textile</i> and <i>ome</i> = tumour) also called gossypiboma (from Latin <i>Gossypium</i> = cotton and Swahili <i>boma</i> = hiding place) is defined as the inadvertent retention of textile foreign body after surgical intervention leading to various symptoms. It is probably the oldest and most obvious error in surgery. Since the first case was reported in 1884 by Wilson, hundreds of cases have been reported. According to those publications its incidence varies from 1/833 to 1/32.672. The true incidence of this medical mistake is certainly higher since fear of litigation prevents many practitioners from reporting. Therefore, it is important to be aware of patients who present with a paraspinal soft-tissue mass and unusual or atypical symptoms. Imaging is helpful for arriving at the correct diagnosis. Here, we describe a case of textiloma in which the patient presented with low-back pain 18 years after laminectomy and lumbar discectomy. Spinal computed tomography (CT) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) revealed a mass lesion in the posterior paravertebral region.