title: An ingested toothbrush.
abstract: Toothbrush ingestion is rare and most cases are seen in anorexic or bilumic young women or associated with mental retardation or schizophrenia. We report a case of accidental swallowing of a toothbrush in a man with no such background psychiatric disorder. The toothbrush was impacted in the duodenum and could not be removed endoscopically. It was removed via a laparotomy and the patient made an uneventful recovery. The pathophysiology, presentation and various techniques reported for endoscopic removal have been reviewed. If endoscopic removal is not possible the toothbrush must be removed by operation, as spontaneous passage is unknown.
authors.affiliation: Department of Surgery, Lautoka Hospital, Fiji. arunmurori@yahoo.com
authors.forename: Arun
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Murari
authors.forename: Saia
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Piukala
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D005367:Fiji; D005547:Foreign Bodies / Q000601:surgery*; D006801:Humans; D007813:Laparotomy; D008297:Male; D014099:Toothbrushing / Q000295:instrumentation