Challenges in the Diagnosis of Bladder Stones Formed by Foreign Bodies: A Report of Five Cases and Literature Review

Purpose: Bladder stones (BSs) formed by foreign bodies are anuncommon disease, and their diagnosis is sometimes challenging. Herein,we have elaborated on the diagnosis, management, and outcomes of five cases of foreign body-induced BSs, including the clinical characteristics,features of multiple diagnostic imaging methods, and treatmentstrategies. Patients and methods: Between May 2016 and March 2025, there were five adult patients (four men and one woman) enrolled into the currentstudy (Table 1). The patients mainly presented with lower urinary tractsymptoms (LUTS) such as frequent urination, urgency, and dysuria. Results: The first patient was diagnosed with a bladder stone formed by aforeign body before surgery. This was confirmed during surgery. Three maining four cases were diagnosed intraoperatively with BSs formed byforeign bodies. There were various types of foreign bodies (Table 1),including green braided cord, intrauterine device (IUD), white plasticpipe, cloth fragment, and magnetic beads. The operations were performed effectively, and no complications occurred in all cases.Patients’ symptoms disappeared after surgical removal of the BSs. Conclusions: In female patients with a history of IUD insertion, the potential for intravesical migration of the device should be taken into consideration. For young to middle-aged male patients diagnosed with BSs, after ruling out benign prostatic hyperplasia(BPH) and urethralstricture, the possibility that the BSs have formed secondary to foreign bodies should be considered.The diagnosis of foreign body-induced BS srequires confirmation by a combination of multiple imaging modalities.Standing position kidney-ureter-bladder (KUB) radiography plays an important role in this diagnosis: due to gravity, typical bladder stones arelocated at the lowest part of the bladder. Therefore, the position offoreign body-induced BSs may be abnormal，e.g., Case 2 and Case 4. Their management requires accurate diagnosis based on modern imagingtechniques and tailored surgical intervention.