The case of the forgotten toothbrush

Sewpaul, Avinash; Shaban, Fadlo; Venkatasubramaniam, A.K.; Tennant, D.; Kelly, S. B.

doi:10.1016/j.ijscr.2012.01.008

Cited by 8 publications

(6 citation statements)

References 7 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…Although these complications may occur in all segments of the gastrointestinal tract [ 4 ], the ileum is considered the most common perforation site [ 11 ]. To date, perforations in the duodenum [ 12 ], ileum [ 13 ], and ascending colon [ 14 ] have been reported.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Accidental duodenal foreign body of toothbrush removed laparoscopically: a case report

et al. 2022

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Background Foreign body ingestion is a common case in daily medical care, and it usually passes through the entire gastrointestinal tract naturally and is excreted in the feces. However, long and sharp foreign bodies may be difficult to pass naturally due to their shape. Here, we present a rare case of a duodenal foreign body, a toothbrush, that required laparoscopic surgical removal after a failed endoscopic attempt. Case presentation A 51-year-old male with intellectual disability presented to our hospital due to fever. Initially, he was diagnosed with aspiration pneumonia by chest X-ray and blood examination. However, abdominal X-ray examination suggested a foreign body, and a computed tomography scan revealed a toothbrush in the duodenum. Therefore, upper gastrointestinal endoscopy was immediately attempted to remove it, but it could not be safely removed because the handle part of the toothbrush seemed deeply embedded in the duodenal mucosa. Therefore, this case was diagnosed as duodenal incarceration of the toothbrush, and it was removed by laparoscopic surgery. The operation was performed safely, and the patient’s postoperative course was good without any complications. The extracted toothbrush was 15 cm in length. Conclusion We experienced a rare case of a duodenal foreign body, which was a toothbrush. The duodenal foreign body was safely removed by laparoscopic surgery for the first time.

show abstract

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Accidental duodenal foreign body of toothbrush removed laparoscopically: a case report

et al. 2022

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…Toothbrushes usually show a characteristic radiographic image with parallel rows of short metallic radiodensities due to the metallic plates that hold the bristles in place but this was not the case in our patient probably because the toothbrush was lying sideways 1 . Because no cases of spontaneous passage have been reported, early endoscopy and prompt removal is recommended to minimize morbidity and to avoid prolonged hospitalization [1][2][3][4][5] .…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Toothbrush swallowing is a rare occurrence [1][2][3] . The most common foreign bodies' ingested by adults are bones of fish or chicken, spoons, and dentures which occurs during meals 3,4 .…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The most common foreign bodies' ingested by adults are bones of fish or chicken, spoons, and dentures which occurs during meals 3,4 . Toothbrush ingestion most commonly occurs in patients with psychiatric conditions like bulimia or anorexia nervosa, schizophrenia and bezoar [1][2][3] . Those with bulimia try to induce emesis via manual pharyngeal stimulation using the toothbrush.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 1 more Smart Citation

Case Report: Swallowed toothbrush in the stomach of a 56 year female at St Mary’s Hospital Lacor, Uganda

Amone¹,

Okot²,

Mugabi³

et al. 2018

AAS Open Res

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Toothbrush swallowing is a rare occurrence. Toothbrush swallowing presents a risk of impaction and perforation along the gastrointestinal tract. This case report describes a 56 year old female that presented to the emergency unit of St Mary’s Hospital Lacor with a 1 day history of chest pain after a toothbrush was pushed down her throat by a traditional healer who was managing her for pharyngitis. The chest pain was associated with difficulty in breathing. She also reported dull abdominal pain. There was no history of vomiting or drooling of saliva. On examination, we found that she was in pain and had respiratory distress with a respiratory rate of 32 breath/ min and was using accessory muscles. There was no oedema, aneamia or jaundice. Blood pressure of 120/80 mmHg and pulse rate of 87 beats/ min. The abdominal findings were normal, but ultrasound scan suggested that the toothbrush was in the stomach. The plain erect abdominal x-ray was inconclusive. She was admitted to the ward for conservative management. After 2 weeks we decided to do exploratory laparotomy and we found the toothbrush in the stomach, that we removed and closed the abdomen in layers. Post-operatively the patient recovered uneventfully on the ward. Toothbrush swallowing is a rare occurrence. The commonest foreign bodies ingested by adults are bones, spoons and dentures. Toothbrush ingestion occurs commonly among patients with psychiatric conditions like bulimia or anorexia nervosa, schizophrenia and bezoar. Most swallowed toothbrushes have been found in the esophagus or the stomach of affected patients. Most people who swallowed their toothbrushes did so entirely without erotic intent, as with this case where the patient had the brush pushed down her throat by a traditional healer. This is the first case of toothbrush swallowing in this hospital.

show abstract

“…If impossible, it is recommended that the foreign bodies be localized under endoscopic view and removed via laparoscopic appendectomy [ 2 , 5 , 16 ]. When it is impossible to remove the foreign bodies with these methods, a laparotomy and appendectomy should be performed [ 17 , 18 ]. In our case, the foreign bodies were localized in the right lower quadrant under fluoroscopic guidance and an appendectomy was performed during laparotomy, since the foreign bodies were outside the lumen.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

An Unusual Cause of Abdominal Pain: Three Lead Pellets within the Appendix Vermiformis

Özkan

Müderris

Altıntoprak

et al. 2015

Case Reports in Surgery

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Most ingested foreign bodies usually pass out in the feces uneventfully. Complications such as intestinal perforation and bleeding usually occur with sharp, thin, stiff, long, and pointed objects. This case describes the management of three lead pellets within the appendix vermiformis. A 45-year-old male visited our clinic complaining of a 4-month history of abdominal pain. The patient inquiry revealed that he had eaten hunted rabbit meat on numerous occasions and had unintentionally ingested three lead pellets. Plain abdominal films and a barium enema showed foreign bodies in the right lower abdominal quadrant. Since the lead pellets were thought to have migrated extraluminally, they were removed through laparotomy under fluoroscopic guidance. An appendectomy was performed. Pathologically, three lead pellets were embedded in the appendix, which showed signs of intramucosal inflammation. Foreign bodies causing appendicitis are rare. However, if stiff or pointed objects enter the appendicular lumen, there is a high risk of appendicitis, perforation, or abdominal pain. An appendectomy was required to remove the ingested lead pellets in the appendix.

show abstract

The case of the forgotten toothbrush

Cited by 8 publications

References 7 publications

Accidental duodenal foreign body of toothbrush removed laparoscopically: a case report

Accidental duodenal foreign body of toothbrush removed laparoscopically: a case report

Case Report: Swallowed toothbrush in the stomach of a 56 year female at St Mary’s Hospital Lacor, Uganda

An Unusual Cause of Abdominal Pain: Three Lead Pellets within the Appendix Vermiformis

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About