Two swallowed dentures found in the hypopharynx and rectum of an elderly Japanese woman simultaneously

Abstract

The aging Japanese population has led to an increase in the number of accidentally swallowed dentures. Therefore, we report the case of an elderly Japanese woman with dementia who accidentally and sequentially swallowed two dentures. The patient presented to our hospital with a diagnosis of a single impacted denture in her hypopharynx although we subsequently identified a second impacted denture in her rectum after taking a careful clinical history. Open surgery was required to remove the second denture from her rectum. This case highlights the importance of carefully considering the patient’s history if there is a possibility of latent swallowed dentures.

Keywords

• Dentures
• foreign bodies
• pyriform sinus
• rectum