Citation

Mesa-López MJ, Martínez-Camacho C, Mesa F. Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2022; 19(5): 2682.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2022, MDPI: Multidisciplinary Digital Publishing Institute)

DOI

10.3390/ijerph19052682

PMID

35270374

Abstract

Swallowing a whole toothbrush is a rare event. As of today, no case described has documented that the foreign body has passed through the entire gastrointestinal tract and has been spontaneously eliminated. Places where it is most frequently retained have been described. Only in one single case described did the foreign body reach the colon. We describe the main injuries caused by this foreign body, and the most common correct therapeutic approach for solving the problem. The third case in the literature is presented, with diagnosis and treatment of a woman who, in an attempt to induce vomiting, swallowed a toothbrush which became lodged in her stomach. The patient, at the time of the examination, only showed abdominal pain and anxiety.

Language: en

Keywords

case report; gastroscopy; manual toothbrush; swallowing disorders