Public Health and Potential Complications of Novel Fashion Accessories: An Unusual Foreign Body in the Upper Gastrointestinal Tract of an Adolescent

Abstract

Various foreign bodies (FB) may be ingested. Most of them harmlessly pass through the anus but sharp or pointed ones are likely to cause complications. Although FB's ingestion is commonly seen by the emergency room personnel, a case of an ingested tongue-ring in the stomach of a female adolescent has not been reported. A 16-year-old female was referred to us for swallowing a tongue-ring while eating, a day after she had swallowed its clip. After finishing her meal, she had replaced the ingested tongue-ring with a similar one! She had a history of accidental swollowing the clip during breakfast a day before as well. She had no history of mental illness, alcohol or drug abuse. An abdominal X-ray confirmed their presence in the gastrointestinal tract. On endoscopy, an intact esophagus' mucosa, a stomach filled with food, her tongue-ring in its greater curvature and a patulous pyloric channel were observed. She was turned in the right lateral position and small amounts of water were carefully used in order to shift the food residues to the antrum. The slippery object was grasped by a biopsy forceps and it was pulled out gently. The procedure was uneventful and she was discharged home on the same day. Our case of a tongue-ring ingested by an adolescent demonstrates a troublesome and possibly dangerous consequence of certain fashion accessories' easy adoption especially by younger subjects. It does not only send a social message, but it also might represent the first example of a potentially emerging medical condition.