Endoscopic Removal of Multiple Toothbrushes: A Case Report

Foreign body ingestion is a common emergency that necessitates endoscopic intervention. Although many foreign bodies are easily removed, removal of magnets, blades, barbs, and unusually shaped objects, such as toothbrushes is challenging. Toothbrush ingestion may potentially cause complications such...

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Main Authors: Young Woo Chae, Ilsoo Kim, Woon Geon Shin
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Korean College of Helicobacter and Upper Gastrointestinal Research 2025-03-01
Series:The Korean Journal of Helicobacter and Upper Gastrointestinal Research
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Online Access:http://helicojournal.org/upload/pdf/kjhugr-2024-0060.pdf
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author Young Woo Chae
Ilsoo Kim
Woon Geon Shin
author_facet Young Woo Chae
Ilsoo Kim
Woon Geon Shin
author_sort Young Woo Chae
collection DOAJ
description Foreign body ingestion is a common emergency that necessitates endoscopic intervention. Although many foreign bodies are easily removed, removal of magnets, blades, barbs, and unusually shaped objects, such as toothbrushes is challenging. Toothbrush ingestion may potentially cause complications such as pressure ulcers and perforations. We present a rare case of a 26-year-old woman with schizophrenia, who ingested multiple foreign bodies but was asymptomatic. Radiography showed multiple toothbrushes in the stomach. Emergency non-sedated endoscopy revealed eight toothbrushes in the stomach; five toothbrushes lodged in the great curvature of the stomach and three in the duodenal bulb were successfully removed using a snare and a technique that involved neck hyperextension to facilitate passage. This report describes a case of non-sedated endoscopic removal of multiple toothbrushes, which is rarely reported in the literature. This case highlights that even complex foreign bodies can be safely removed via endoscopy without surgical intervention. To our knowledge, this is the first report in the English literature that discusses endoscopic removal of more than five toothbrushes and underscores the role of customized approaches in the management of ingestion of unusual foreign bodies.
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spelling doaj-art-9893051dea764b7ead421fa1599860162025-08-20T02:52:24ZengKorean College of Helicobacter and Upper Gastrointestinal ResearchThe Korean Journal of Helicobacter and Upper Gastrointestinal Research1738-33312025-03-01251707210.7704/kjhugr.2024.0060894Endoscopic Removal of Multiple Toothbrushes: A Case ReportYoung Woo Chae0Ilsoo Kim1Woon Geon Shin2 Department of Internal Medicine, Hallym University Kangdong Sacred Heart Hospital, Seoul, Korea Department of Internal Medicine, Hallym University Kangdong Sacred Heart Hospital, Seoul, Korea Department of Internal Medicine, Hallym University Kangdong Sacred Heart Hospital, Seoul, KoreaForeign body ingestion is a common emergency that necessitates endoscopic intervention. Although many foreign bodies are easily removed, removal of magnets, blades, barbs, and unusually shaped objects, such as toothbrushes is challenging. Toothbrush ingestion may potentially cause complications such as pressure ulcers and perforations. We present a rare case of a 26-year-old woman with schizophrenia, who ingested multiple foreign bodies but was asymptomatic. Radiography showed multiple toothbrushes in the stomach. Emergency non-sedated endoscopy revealed eight toothbrushes in the stomach; five toothbrushes lodged in the great curvature of the stomach and three in the duodenal bulb were successfully removed using a snare and a technique that involved neck hyperextension to facilitate passage. This report describes a case of non-sedated endoscopic removal of multiple toothbrushes, which is rarely reported in the literature. This case highlights that even complex foreign bodies can be safely removed via endoscopy without surgical intervention. To our knowledge, this is the first report in the English literature that discusses endoscopic removal of more than five toothbrushes and underscores the role of customized approaches in the management of ingestion of unusual foreign bodies.http://helicojournal.org/upload/pdf/kjhugr-2024-0060.pdfgastrointestinal endoscopeforeign body
spellingShingle Young Woo Chae
Ilsoo Kim
Woon Geon Shin
Endoscopic Removal of Multiple Toothbrushes: A Case Report
The Korean Journal of Helicobacter and Upper Gastrointestinal Research
gastrointestinal endoscope
foreign body
title Endoscopic Removal of Multiple Toothbrushes: A Case Report
title_full Endoscopic Removal of Multiple Toothbrushes: A Case Report
title_fullStr Endoscopic Removal of Multiple Toothbrushes: A Case Report
title_full_unstemmed Endoscopic Removal of Multiple Toothbrushes: A Case Report
title_short Endoscopic Removal of Multiple Toothbrushes: A Case Report
title_sort endoscopic removal of multiple toothbrushes a case report
topic gastrointestinal endoscope
foreign body
url http://helicojournal.org/upload/pdf/kjhugr-2024-0060.pdf
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AT ilsookim endoscopicremovalofmultipletoothbrushesacasereport
AT woongeonshin endoscopicremovalofmultipletoothbrushesacasereport