Abstract Introduction Small smooth objects that enter the gut nearly always pass uneventfully through the gastrointestinal tract.Retention of foreign objects may occur due to congenital obstructive anomaly discount greenery of the gut.Case presentation We report here a child who presented with features of small gut obstruction which were attributed to a foreign body impacted in the intestine.At surgery, an annular pancreas was detected and the foreign body was found to be lodged in click here the distended proximal duodenum.Conclusion The reported case highlights the fact that an impacted radio-opaque foreign body in a child should warn the pediatrician to the possibility of an obstructive congenital anomaly.