TY - JOUR T1 - Perforation of the cervical esophagus due to an ingested toothbrush JF - Trauma Surgery & Acute Care Open JO - Trauma Surg Acute Care Open DO - 10.1136/tsaco-2022-001080 VL - 8 IS - 1 SP - e001080 AU - Yuko (Yuja) So (Song) AU - Tsuyoshi Nagao AU - Tomoki Kanda AU - Kaori Ito Y1 - 2023/01/01 UR - http://tsaco.bmj.com/content/8/1/e001080.abstract N2 - A man in his 50s with a long history of schizophrenia was transported to the emergency department because his caregiver noticed a stick-like object protruding from his posterior oropharynx. A toothbrush handle was found lodged in the oropharynx on oral examination. A detailed history could not be obtained due to his underlying mental illness. He was febrile to 38℃, but other vital signs were normal. He was not in respiratory distress. Physical examination was unremarkable except for mild tenderness in the left neck with crepitus. Laboratory tests showed mild leukocytosis. A contrast-enhanced CT scan of the head and neck revealed the end of a toothbrush handle wedged into the soft palate and the toothbrush head protruding into the cervical esophagus, surrounded by extensive emphysematous changes in the soft tissues of the neck bilaterally. The toothbrush measured approximately 15 cm long×1.5 cm wide (figure 1).Figure 1 (A) Coronal view of a CT scan of the head and neck with intravenous contrast. The toothbrush is positioned obliquely from the floor of the palate to the cervical esophagus (narrow arrows). Emphysematous changes have spread bilaterally in the soft tissues of the neck (wide arrows). The head of the toothbrush is in the cervical esophagus (arrowhead). (B,C) The scout view of the head and neck was overlaid with a 3D … ER -