title: Salvage technique for endoscopic removal of a sharp fish bone impacted in the esophagus using a transparent cap and detachable snares.
abstract: A sharp, impacted fish bone in the esophagus is an indication for urgent endoscopy. Endoscopic removal of such an object is a challenging task. An endoscopic protector hood is then used to remove the object. However, an endoscopic hood protector is not always available. In a patient with a large hiatal hernia, the protector hood may not return to the original shape when it passes through the gastroesophageal junction and therefore may not properly protect the esophageal mucosa from the sharp foreign body. In our case, it was impossible to deploy the endoscopic hood protector through the gastroesophageal junction despite multiple attempts. We propose an alternative solution for such cases. We safely removed a large sharp-edged flat fish bone that was folded and compressed using a detachable snare after releasing and pushing the fish bone into the stomach using an endoscope equipped with a transparent cap used for dilating the esophageal wall. This method of using an endoscopic cap and detachable snare is a safe, useful alternative for endoscopically removing a large sharp-edged flat foreign body from the upper gastrointestinal tract. This alternative technique has not been reported in the English medical literature.
authors.affiliation: Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Department of Internal Medicine, Korea University College of Medicine, 73 Inchon-ro, Seongbuk-gu, Seoul 136-705, Korea.
authors.forename: Jong Soo
authors.initials: JS
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.forename: Hoon Jai
authors.initials: HJ
authors.lastname: Chun
authors.forename: Jae Min
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.forename: Young Jae
authors.initials: YJ
authors.lastname: Hwang
authors.forename: Seung Han
authors.initials: SH
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.forename: Eun Sun
authors.initials: ES
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.forename: Yoon Tae
authors.initials: YT
authors.lastname: Jeen
authors.forename: Hyun Joo
authors.initials: HJ
authors.lastname: Lee
mesh_terms: D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D004945:Esophagoscopy / Q000295:instrumentation* / Q000379:methods; D004947:Esophagus; D005547:Foreign Bodies / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000601:surgery*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D011859:Radiography