Abstract
A 57-year-old man was observed by his physician to have an embedded denture in his esophagus. He was referred to our hospital for further examination and treatment.
A chest X-ray showed a denture lodged in the lower thoracic esophagus. Initially, we attempted to remove the denture with a rigid esophagoscope under general anesthesia, but we were unable to identify it perhaps because of the low visual capability of the rigid esophagoscope. However, we were later able to extract the denture with a flexible fiberscope.
The next morning the patient complained of dyspnea. Since the chest X-ray presented a bilateral pneumothorax, thoracic drains were implanted. Then, because the chest X-ray demonstrated pleural effusion in the evening, an esophagogram was taken immediately which revealed two esophageal perforations.
Though a perforated esophagus generally constitutes a surgical emergency, a conservative treatment was selected because the perforations were infectious.
Intensive care, during which antibiotics and thoracic irrigation were administered, saved the patient's life.
