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Min Hyeong Jo 1 Article
Toothpick Colon Injury Mimicking Colonic Diverticulitis
Min Hyeong Jo, Hwan Namgung
Ann Coloproctol. 2018;34(3):157-159.   Published online June 30, 2018
DOI: https://doi.org/10.3393/ac.2018.04.23
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  • 4 Citations
AbstractAbstract PDF
Although toothpick ingestion is rare, it can lead to fatal complications in the gastrointestinal tract. Diagnosing toothpick ingestion is difficult because most patients do not recall swallowing one. We report 2 cases of toothpick-ingestion-induced colon injury, mimicking diverticulitis. The first patient was a 47-year-old male who had received conservative treatment under the impression of his having diverticulitis in the cecum. Ultrasonography revealed a linear foreign body in the right lower abdomen; a subsequent laparoscopic examination revealed inflammation around the cecum, but no evidence of bowel perforation. A thorough investigation revealed a toothpick embedded in the subcutaneous fat and muscle layer of the lower abdominal wall; we removed it. The second patient was a 56-year-old male who had received conservative treatment under the impression of his having diverticulitis in the sigmoid colon. An explorative laparotomy revealed a toothpick piercing the sigmoid colon; we performed an anterior resection. Both patients were discharged without postoperative complications.

Citations

Citations to this article as recorded by  
  • Anterior abdominal wall abscess due to toothpick ingestion: A case report
    Doğuş Can Ekdal, Ahmet Akmercan, Tevfik Kıvılcım Uprak
    Surgery Case Reports.2025; 4: 100088.     CrossRef
  • Perforation of the Terminal Ileum Secondary to Mucosal Damage of Enteroaggregative Escherichia coli and a Toothpick
    Nora A Rady, James Parrish
    Cureus.2024;[Epub]     CrossRef
  • Accidentally ingested wooden toothpick, perforation of a sigmoid diverticulum and mimicking acute colonic diverticulitis: A case report and literature review
    Giuseppe Evola, Giulia Impellizzeri, Elia Pulvirenti, Maria D'Angelo, Martina Reina, Giuseppe Angelo Reina
    International Journal of Surgery Case Reports.2023; 104: 107945.     CrossRef
  • Toothpick perforates small bowel-mimicking diverticulitis
    Ahmed A Fallatah, Hassan Mashbari, Hatoon Daghestani, Omar Mostafa, Nawaf Alshahwan, Ahmed Alburakan, Thamer Nouh
    Journal of Surgical Case Reports.2023;[Epub]     CrossRef

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