A case of pharyngeal injury in a patient with swallowed toothbrush: a case report.
BACKGROUND
Otolaryngologists encounter cases of various foreign bodies in the oral and pharyngeal regions. One commonly found foreign body is a fish bone, ingested in most cases by carelessness or an accident. These foreign materials are removed by endoscopy or through a simple procedure. However, hypopharyngeal damage is rarely caused by a foreign body in the pharynx following the swallowing of a toothbrush.


METHODS
A 44-year-old Asian male visited the emergency room with chief complaints of intraoral pain and dysphagia that had started on the same day. The patient had paranoid-type schizophrenia that began 10 years ago; he had been hospitalized and was being treated at another clinic, and was transferred to the emergency room by the medical staff after swallowing a toothbrush. We successfully removed a toothbrush located within the pharynx of a patient with a history of a psychologic disorder via surgery and conservative treatment.


CONCLUSIONS
The case with this patient, and a rapid diagnosis as well as treatment is imperative. The presence and state of a foreign body must be determined through a careful physical examination and imaging, followed by the immediate removal of the foreign body, all while keeping in mind the possibility of accompanying damage to nearby tissues.
Yeon-Hoo
YH
Kim
Sung-Il
SI
Cho
Nam-Yong
NY
Do
Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck surgery, Chosun University, 365 Pilmun-daero, Dong-gu, Gwanju 501-717, South Korea. entjh28@chosun.ac.kr.
Jun-Hee
JH
Park
D000328:Adult; D003679:Deglutition; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009333:Neck / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D010614:Pharynx / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000293:injuries* / Q000601:surgery; D011182:Postoperative Care; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed; D014099:Toothbrushing / Q000009:adverse effects*