Foreign body - electronic cigarette

Case contributed by Brian Gilcrease-Garcia
Diagnosis certain

Presentation

20 year old male with intellectual developmental disorder and history of swallowing foreign objects presents after swallowing a foreign object.

Patient Data

Age: 20
Gender: Unknown

Initial presentation

x-ray

A dense linear object overlies the region of the proximal stomach, consistent with the provided history of ingested foreign body. 

Several hours later

x-ray

On a repeat radiograph, several hours later, the same object has a more obliqued anteroposterior orientation and remains overlying the proximal stomach.

The patient was taken for endoscopic retrieval.  An electronic cigarette was found in the gastric body.  It measured approximately 9 cm in length. There were white exudates at the tip of the foreign body, consistent with inflammatory mucosal response. The foreign object was successfully removed with a snare. 

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