title: Perforation of the duodenum by an ingested toothbrush.
abstract: We report a rare case of duodenal perforation caused by an ingested 12-cm long toothbrush handle. A 22-year-old female presented with intermittent epigastric pain for 6 d after swallowing a broken toothbrush. The swallowed toothbrush could not be removed from the second portion of the duodenum by endoscopy. Laparotomy revealed a perforation in the anterior wall of the duodenal bulb. The toothbrush was removed via the perforation which was debrided and closed. There were no postoperative complications.
authors.affiliation: Department of Surgery, Chang Gung Memorial Hospital, 5 Fuhsing Street, Kweishan, Taoyuan 33305, Taiwan, China.
authors.forename: Hsiao-Hsiang
authors.initials: HH
authors.lastname: Chao
authors.forename: Tzu-Chieh
authors.initials: TC
authors.lastname: Chao
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D003679:Deglutition; D004386:Duodenum / Q000473:pathology*; D004724:Endoscopy; D005260:Female; D005547:Foreign Bodies / Q000150:complications* / Q000601:surgery; D006801:Humans; D007416:Intestinal Perforation / Q000209:etiology / Q000601:surgery*; D007813:Laparotomy; D011183:Postoperative Complications; D014099:Toothbrushing / Q000009:adverse effects