The swallowed toothbrush: a radiographic clue of bulimia.
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.
Riddlesberger
M M
MM
Department of Radiology, Children's Hospital of Buffalo, New York.
Cohen
H L
HL
Glick
P L
PL
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*