Colonoscopy Demonstrating a Moving Worm

A 60-year-old woman presented to the outpatient clinic with vague abdominal discomfort that had developed over the previous several weeks. There was no abdominal tenderness. Laboratory evaluation was notable for the white-cell count, which included 1.8% eosinophils. Colonoscopy demonstrated a worm, which moved. The worm had a smooth, cream-colored surface and was 20 cm in length. It was removed with an endoscopic snare and identified as Ascaris lumbricoides. The patient was given mebendazole; she did not pass any additional worms. Typically, complications from A. lumbricoides are associated with mechanical obstruction, such as migration of a worm into the biliary tree or the development of a high worm burden in the intestinal lumen. In this case, the abdominal discomfort resolved after the worm was removed. At a 2-month follow-up visit, the patient remained healthy.

Category:

Science & Technology

Tags:

• Ascariasis
• colonoscopy
• parasite

[xXxKiraraxXx]

I swear, one of those things were trying to attack the camera D:

[Shinigami537]

Where I come from these worms are more common than HTN

[hungerybear5]

aliens? we need to call M.I.B!! or wwf

[xHimeYuna]

How long is that?

[chakkname]

@bulabula80 hey you are the kinda gal that I marry. You worms and I love fishing!!!

[bulabula80]

i have gotten this from a volunteer trip i went on to fiji about a month ago. i passed a worm already yesterday, and i just started my treatment of mebendazole. is there anything i should be aware of after taking the medicine? and do u think that there were more than one worm? please answer this, i'm pretty freaked out about...

[DrRunels]

A diagnosis not considered enough--nice to have photo reminder that such things do still happen in our "modern" USA