title: Foreign body retained in the esophagus for more than a decade: thoracic esophagotomy for retrieval.
abstract: A foreign body (FB) lodged in the esophagus is not uncommon. Although endoscopic removal is successful in the majority of cases, it could prove to be difficult in those whose foreign bodies are large or have been incarcerated for a long time. We describe the case of a 23-year-old woman who had a FB in her esophagus for at least 13 years. She became symptomatic 2 years before presentation, but presented for treatment when dysphagia to both solids and liquids developed. Endoscopic retrieval of the incarcerated FB was unsuccessful, and she eventually required thoracotomy and esophagotomy for its extraction.
authors.affiliation: Department of Surgery, Division of Thoracic Surgery, West Virginia University, Morgantown, West Virginia. Electronic address: solaodunt@aol.com.
authors.forename: Olusola
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Oduntan
authors.affiliation: Department of Surgery, West Virginia University, Morgantown, West Virginia.
authors.forename: James
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Bardes
authors.affiliation: Department of Medicine, Digestive Diseases Division, West Virginia University, Morgantown, West Virginia.
authors.forename: Karthik
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Penumesta
authors.affiliation: Department of Medicine, Digestive Diseases Division, West Virginia University, Morgantown, West Virginia.
authors.forename: Swati
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Pawa
mesh_terms: D004945:Esophagoscopy; D004947:Esophagus / Q000601:surgery*; D005260:Female; D005547:Foreign Bodies / Q000601:surgery*; D006801:Humans; D019616:Thoracic Surgical Procedures; D013997:Time Factors; D055815:Young Adult