Most unusual X-rays

Radiopaedia.org provides a free, up-to-date reference catalogue of radiology cases for medical staff around the world. The website now has more than seven million visitors a month and over 17,600 cases available on its database.

It has been heralded for providing vital open access information that can be viewed by anyone in the world, including in developing countries where text books and medical resources can be expensive or in short supply.

However, it is also providing a source of amusement for people outside of the medical community because of X-rays where some unexpected items turned up.

Some of the more unusual objects popping up included sex-toys, an empty jar of instant coffee, a fly-spray can, knives, an axe-handle and coins.

Meanwhile, edible items included an orange, an aubergine and an egg.

The site, which was founded by Australian neuroradiologist Dr Frank Gaillard in 2005, explains that foreign bodies are a common occurrence in emergency rooms.

It says children under the age of four are more at risk of ending up with objects trapped in their airways, because "young children will put anything and everything into their mouth, and will often inadvertently swallow".

Cases of rectal foreign bodies are also a common occurrence, with incidences highest in Eastern Europe and lowest in Asia. Doctors said the vast majority of these objects are the result of "sexual misadventure".

"Patients usually know that there is something in their rectum although are often at a loss as to how the object got there," the site explains.

"Removal of such objects can be challenging depending on the shape, material and orientation within the rectum. If possible they should be removed via the anus, although in some cases a laparotomy may be required.”

Explaining his motivation for setting up the website to ABC News, Dr Frank Gaillard said that while often amusing, the cases are an excellent tool for learning.

"To be able to give radiologists or doctors in third world nations, who don't have the teaching, or the expertise, or the hardware that we do, the ability to see some of these cases and better treat and diagnose their patients is probably what gives me the greatest sense of satisfaction on a day-to-day basis."

(independent.co.uk)