A Search for the Misplaced Intrauterine Device

Abstract

A 32-year-old female patient, para 2 living 2, with both vaginal deliveries, was presented to the outpatient department with complaints of urgency and increased frequency of micturition after one week of insertion of copper-T at a primary health center. She was referred to a higher center for further management. Her urine routine microscopic analysis was suggestive of 25–30 pus cells/hpf with absent bacteria. On per speculum examination, the copper-T thread was not seen from the cervical os. With the help of a copper-T removal hook, uterine probing was performed for the copper-T’s location but could not be felt. Per vaginal examination revealed a normal-sized, anteverted uterus, with free bilateral fornices and no forniceal tenderness. On transvaginal ultrasonography, the copper-T was not seen in the uterine cavity, and the patient did not report a history of spontaneous expulsion. The diagnosis of a misplaced intrauterine device (IUD) was made, as the uterine cavity was empty. A whole abdominal scan and pelvic scan with a full urinary bladder were conducted to locate the copper-T.

Keywords