Endoscopic removal of a toothpick from the transverse colon

Am J Gastroenterol. 1996 Nov;91(11):2438-9.

Abstract

We describe the case of a patient who presented with abdominal pain, weight loss, and night sweats of 8 wk duration due to the impalement of a toothpick in the transverse colon. The toothpick, which was inadvertently swallowed, was successfully removed during colonoscopy. Therapeutic colonoscopy has replaced or lessened to a significant degree the need for traditional open surgical procedures to extract foreign bodies from the colon. Unexplained abdominal pain and constitutional symptoms should alert the clinician to the possibility of a foreign body.

Publication types

  • Case Reports

MeSH terms

  • Adult
  • Colon*
  • Colonoscopy*
  • Foreign Bodies / diagnosis
  • Foreign Bodies / therapy*
  • Humans
  • Male