Fig. 3

Operative findings and the extracted needle. a The peritoneum surrounding the needle has granulomatous changes due to inflammation. b The needle is identified where it enters the levator ani muscle near the arch of the tendon and enters the obturator internus muscle. c The needle is easily removed by grasping it directly with a needle holder. d The length of the aberrant needle is 40 mm, which is consistent with the preoperative imaging. The upper image shows an example of the same type of acupuncture needle. The lower image shows the retained aberrant needle that was extracted in laparoscopic surgery and the broken root part of the needle that was provided by the acupuncturist