An unusual endoscopic procedure to remove a toothbrush from the stomach.

A 26-year-old woman with no history of mental illness presented to the emergency department and stated that she had accidentally swallowed the toothbrush when carrying out dental care. She was asymptomatic, A plain abdominal radiograph confirmed the presence of a foreign body in the left upper quadrant (Figure 1). During gastroscopic examination (Olympus G I F X Q 1 0 ) , the toothbrush was visualized in the stomach. Endoscopic removal was carried out after premedication with midazolam. The head o f the brush was in the fundus, and the handle was close to the small curvature o f the gastric body. The toothbrush, 1 6 c m in length, was removed using a Dormia basket. Once the head of the toothbrush had been grasped, we pushed it up to align it with the axis of the esophagus (Figure 2) . We had no difficulty in passing it through the gastroesophageal junction. Once the toothbrush head reached the oropharynx we hypcrextended the patient's neck and with the help o f two fingers, pulled the brush out in one motion. The entire procedure required about three minutes, and took place without complications. A control endoscopic examination showed no mucosal lacerations. The patient was discharged three hours later without complaints.