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Journal of The Korean Society of Emergency Medicine 2002;13(3): 366-368. |
| Colon Perforation by an Ingested Toothpick |
| Jin Kyung Cho, Jun Seok Park, Dae Kon Sohn, Han Shick Lee |
| Department of Emergency Medicine, Yonsei University College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea. emer6657@yumc.yonsei.ac.kr |
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| ABSTRACT |
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Foreign bodies in the gastrointestinal (GI) tract can be seen in all age groups and is not uncommon to see in the emergency department. Most are pediatric, edentulous, incarcerated and/or psychiatric patients. Since ingested objects are expected to pass spontaneously in 80% to 90% of patients with normal anatomy, direct foreign body removal using surgical intervention is rarely required. However, an ingested toothpick is of surgical interest as a cause of significant morbidity and even mortality. This is due to the difficulty in preoperative diagnosis resulting from a lack of history of ingestion of the toothpick and to the toothpick's radiolucent qualities. We report the case of a patient with peritonitis due to perforation of the sigmoid colon, a complication of accidental ingestion of a toothpick, that was diagnosed at the surgical field. Related literature is reviewed together. |
| Key words:
Foreign body ingestion, Toothpick |
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