title: Charcoal deposits in the esophageal and gastric mucosa.
abstract: We report the case of a 75-yr-old woman referred for gastrointestinal endoscopy to investigate severe iron deficiency anemia. Black linear lesions were observed in the distal esophagus and stomach. Biopsies revealed aggregates of coarse black foreign material, which was later identified as charcoal. The patient's previous medical history included an antidepressant overdose 5 yr before the current admission. The patient had a gastric lavage, using a large bore orogastric tube, followed by the administration of activated charcoal. The patient had no other history of charcoal ingestion. We propose that the charcoal became entrapped in mucosal tears caused by the traumatic intubation 5 yr previously, causing the incidental mucosal tattooing seen at endoscopy.
authors.affiliation: Department of Medicine, Hospital Garcia de Orta, Almada, Portugal.
authors.forename: J M
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Lopes de Freitas
authors.forename: M G
authors.initials: MG
authors.lastname: Ferreira
authors.forename: M J
authors.initials: MJ
authors.lastname: Brito
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D002606:Charcoal / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000009:adverse effects*; D062787:Drug Overdose / Q000628:therapy; D004947:Esophagus; D005260:Female; D005547:Foreign Bodies / Q000209:etiology*; D005753:Gastric Mucosa; D006801:Humans; D007441:Intubation, Gastrointestinal / Q000009:adverse effects; D009092:Mucous Membrane; D013270:Stomach
chemical_list: D002606:Charcoal