PMC9887711_01
(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 constructed image of a toothbrush. The end of the handle is on the floor of the palate (narrow arrow), and the head is in the cervical esophagus (arrowhead).
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F1
The toothbrush measured approximately 15 cm longx1.5 cm wide (figure 1).
PMC9887711_02
Frontal view of the patient's oral cavity in the operating room. The end of the toothbrush handle is wedged into the palate.
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F2
The end of the toothbrush handle was clearly buried in the floor of the palate (figure 2).
(A) Intraoperative view of left cervical exploration. A 5 mm perforation was observed on the cephalad side of the cervical esophagus. Presumably perforated while swallowing the toothbrush, the head of the toothbrush is even deeper in the esophagus. (B) Extracted toothbrush. For safe removal, the handle portion was cut intraorally (ruler is 15 cm).
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F3
The rest of the toothbrush was removed through the perforation which was enlarged to 1 cm (figure 3).