Intrarenal foreign body presenting as a renal calculus.

Retained surgical sponges, so called textilomas, are rare complications after abdominal surgeries. The estimated incidence is approximately 1 per 1,000-1,500 surgical operations. However the true incidence is difficult to determine mainly because of underreporting due to medical legal issues. In a retroperitoneal location these textilomas represent less than 17% of abdominal locations and reports of renal or perirenal textilomas are scarce. The pre-operative diagnosis is difficult because they mimic tumors, abscesses, pseudo-cysts or hematomas. Clinical manifestations may occur early or late after surgery, depending on the type of inflammatory reaction induced . Radiology may contribute to the pre-operative diagnosis, especially when a radio-opaque marker is obvious, whereupon, conventional radiography may then allow for an accurate diagnosis. Otherwise, certain characteristic signs may be sought with ultrasound, computed tomography (CT), or magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) . We describe a case of surgical gauze retained in the renal pelvis after an open renal surgery presenting as a renal calculus.