A Thumbtack in the Esophagus

Excerpt

A healthy 1-year-old boy persistently crying for 4 h was presented to the emergency department. A subsequent physical examination revealed no respiratory distress; however, computed tomography revealed a radiopaque, mushroom-shaped object lodged in the upper thoracic esophagus (Fig. 1A, B). Consequently, a diagnosis of a foreign body lodged in the esophagus was made. Immediate removal was critical to prevent complications like perforation, bleeding, and fistula formation [1‐3]. The patient underwent gastroscopy under general anesthesia, which revealed a thumbtack embedded in the esophageal cavity, 23 cm from the incisors (Fig. 1C). By carefully drawing the thumbtack’s tip into a transparent cap it was successfully removed endoscopically using foreign body forceps. On postoperative day one, the patient tolerated a liquid diet without any discomfort and was discharged. This case serves as an important reminder of the risks associated with foreign body ingestion in young children, who frequently explore their environment orally.

…