title: The swallowed toothbrush: a radiographic clue of bulimia.
abstract: Swallowed toothbrushes were noted in the esophagus of one teenager and the stomach of two others with bulimia. The presence of a toothbrush in the lumen of the gastrointestinal tract should make the radiologist suspicious of bulimia/anorexia nervosa. A toothbrush shows a characteristic radiographic image with parallel rows of short metallic radiodensities due to the metallic plates that hold the bristles in place.
authors.affiliation: Department of Radiology, Children's Hospital of Buffalo, New York.
authors.forename: M M
authors.initials: MM
authors.lastname: Riddlesberger
authors.forename: H L
authors.initials: HL
authors.lastname: Cohen
authors.forename: P L
authors.initials: PL
authors.lastname: Glick
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D002032:Bulimia / Q000175:diagnosis*; D004947:Esophagus / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D005260:Female; D005547:Foreign Bodies / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D006801:Humans; D011859:Radiography; D013270:Stomach / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D014099:Toothbrushing / Q000295:instrumentation*