title: Mussel shell impaction in the esophagus.
abstract: Mussels are commonly used in cooking around the world. The mussel shell breaks more easily than other shells, and the edge of the broken mussel shell is sharp. Impaction can ultimately cause erosion, perforation and fistula. Aside from these complications, the pain can be very intense. Therefore, it is essential to verify and remove the shell as soon as possible. In this report we describe the process of diagnosing and treating mussel shell impaction in the esophagus. Physicians can overlook this unusual foreign body impaction due to lack of experience. When physicians encounter a patient with severe chest pain after a meal with mussels, mussel shell impaction should be considered when diagnosing and treating the patient.
authors.affiliation: Department of Internal Medicine, Kosin University College of Medicine, Busan, Korea.
authors.forename: Sunmin
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.forename: Hyung Hun
authors.initials: HH
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.forename: Gook Hwan
authors.initials: GH
authors.lastname: Jang
authors.forename: Jun Young
authors.initials: JY
authors.lastname: Song
keywords: Endoscopy; Esophagus; Mussel shell impaction; Mussels