Ingestion of Foreign Bodies: When Surgery Become Urgent

Foreign body ingestion (FBI) is a serious event that can be life-threatening or lead to significant sequelae. We report the observation of a 40-year-old patient, , who presented to the emergency room with chest pain, intermittent cough and exertional dyspnea, 4 hours after accidentally swallowing his plastic denture. The clinical examination was without abnormalities. Chest X-ray showed a foreign body in the stomach. Several attempts at endoscopic extraction were made, without success. The standard radiography can be useful for visualizing radio-opaque FB or by indirect signs. The recourse to endoscopy for diagnostic and therapeutic purposes may be essential.