What happens if you swallow a toothbrush

Amylase and lipase levels were normal. The coagulation profile was abnormal with a prothrombin time international normalized ratio of 1.

An electrocardiogram was unremarkable. An abdominal radiograph showed parallel rows of short metallic radiodensities in the right mid-abdomen Figure 1. On CT images, a metallic foreign body was observed in the right colon and a thrombosis of the left portal vein was found to be associated with perfusion changes in the left hepatic lobe, suggesting a chronic intra-abdominal inflammation Figure 2. Colonoscopic examination revealed a toothbrush penetrating the wall of the hepatic flexure with the head pointing toward the ascending colon Figure 3.

We attempted to remove the toothbrush after grasping it with a snare; this attempt failed due to limited space in the hepatic flexure and risk of trauma to extraluminal organs or vessels. The patient was subsequently taken to the operating room for an exploratory laparotomy.

During laparotomy, an abscess cavity involving the inferior aspect of the liver was discovered. The toothbrush was found to have caused a fistula between the hepatic flexure of the colon and the liver with a complicating small hepatic abscess. The toothbrush at 19 cm in length was removed, the perforation in the colon was resected in a small wedge, and anastomosis was performed.

The peritoneal cavity was irrigated with normal saline, and a Fr drain tube was placed in the abscess cavity site. Postoperatively, the patient had a favorable outcome. Upon further questioning, the patient reported ingesting a toothbrush approximately one year earlier. At that time, the patient had visited a local clinic where they recommended surgical removal. However, he had adamantly refused surgery.

A CT scan of the abdomen demonstrates metallic densities located in the right colon A and thrombosis of the left portal vein B. Colonoscopic image at the hepatic flexure shows a toothbrush penetrating the wall of the hepatic flexure A with the head pointing toward the ascending colon B.

The toothbrush is a rather unusual foreign body to be found in the gastrointestinal tract. In a recent report, a MEDLINE search of the years to found 11 articles with approximately 40 cases of toothbrush ingestion 2.

Almost all of the patients were female, ranging from 15 to 23 years of age 3 , 4. Most of the patients had been diagnosed with psychiatric problems such as bulimia or anorexia nervosa. The characteristic radiographic image of a swallowed toothbrush shows parallel rows of short metallic radiodensities due to the metallic plates that hold the bristles in place 4.

The toothbrushes were easily identified in the esophagus and stomach of the patients by upper endoscopy. None of the toothbrushes passed spontaneously. In several cases, there were significant complications related to pressure necrosis, including gastritis, mucosal tears, and perforation 3. Save the toothpicks for making sure your cake is fully baked and reach for dental floss instead to clean between your teeth.

Sadly, this is also true. There are over types of common cold, with the most frequent offender being the rhinovirus, which accounts for more than half of all colds.

In America, the Centers for Disease Control estimates we suffer from 2 billion colds a year! So, how common is tooth decay by proxy? Got more questions about your oral health, or are you ready to schedule your next appointment? Give Dr. Leave this field blank. Your email address will not be published. Request Appointment Patient Login Pay Bill facebook social button youtube social button google social button yelp social button instagram social button CALL Stephen Hill Dr.

Hill Dental Studio. Follow Us! Email Hill Dental Studio. Share This Article. Post was not sent - check your email addresses! Sorry, your blog cannot share posts by email. These women must be bulimic, of course. In it, Dr. Heffess and his co-authors lay out an array of ways that imaging — X-rays, CT scans, MRI, and more — can alert radiologists to signs of eating disorders or their complications.

The radiologist, whose job it is to interpret medical imaging, then reports these findings back to the doctor who ordered the scan and is treating the patient. The imaging findings can be especially helpful, the authors point out, because patients often keep their eating disorders secret.

People with bulimia, in particular, may keep their binging and purging secret because they can ; they don't tend to become rail-thin like anorexics. Their silence may also be "the secrecy of shame," said Dr. Katy Aisenberg , an eating disorders specialist in Cambridge. Bulimia tends to involve a sense of being out of control, she said, of being unable to discipline an overactive appetite. The presence of an unusual foreign body in the esophagus or stomach on radiographs should raise suspicion for an eating disorder.

Patients with eating disorders may use objects to induce vomiting and then accidentally ingest them. Although any object may be used, the toothbrush seems to be used frequently, likely because of its presence in the bathroom, where self-induced vomiting most often occurs.