Papers of the Week

Textilomas, gossypibomas, muslinomas and gauzomas, otherwise collectively known as Retained Non-absorbable Hemostatic Material (RNHM), are surgical materials such as cotton or gauze pads that are accidentally retained in the surgical bed post-operatively. They may present acutely with signs of infection or may rarely remain chronic and asymptomatic; the latter posing a significant challenge to clinical and imaging diagnosis. Textilomas are not routinely reported due to their medicolegal implications and are usually encountered fortuitously. Here, we report a case of an individual who presented with a non-specific lower backache, had a remote history of lumbar discectomy and in whom a textiloma at the postoperative site was seen to mimic a soft-tissue mass on imaging. In addition, we review current, up-to-date literature on delayed presentations of such retained materials after surgery of the lumbar spine.