External Esophagotomy for Removal of a Vulnerable Foreign Body from the Esophagus: Case Report

B Loum*, kMA Diouf, F Niang, TB Diallo, CB Ndiaye, A Touré, MR Ndiaye, CL Diagne, A Ndiaye and CA Lame

Introduction: Endoscopic removal of a dangerous foreign body can pose a risk of complications such as perforation of the digestive tract. In this case, cervicotomy is a highly effective alternative. In this topic, the authors describe the extraction by esophagotomy of a denture with four teeth and two metal clasps performed in the ENT department of Hopital Principal de Dakar.

Patient: A 22-year-old patient, with no known medical history, was referred by another hospital and admitted to our structure 4 days after ingestion of a foreign body, such as a denture. The accident occurred following a seizure, due to an epileptic crisis, after the announcement of his brother's death.

A standard chest X-ray revealed a metallic-looking image at the cervical esophagus at C5, resembling the clasps of a denture.

He underwent endoscopic extraction under general anesthesia without success. External extraction was done after antibiotic and corticosteroid therapy.

The postoperative course was marked by mild dysphonia, and endoscopy revealed hypomobility of the left vocal cord. The patient was fed through a nasogastric tube for two weeks. An esophago-gastro-duodenal transit was performed to ensure the absence of an esophagotracheal fistula, and a swallowing test was performed before oral feeding.

Conclusion: External esophagotomy is an effective and safe alternative for the removal of dangerous foreign bodies. ENT specialists should keep this in mind to avoid fatal complications of forced endoscopic removal.

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Published on: Feb 12, 2026 Pages: 1-4

Full Text PDF Full Text HTML DOI: 10.17352/2455-1759.000164
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