Imaging findings of swallowed dentures: a case series

Abstract

Dental prosthesis is an uncommon ingested non-food foreign body in adults. Once swallowed, it can lead to serious complications and morbidity. Hence, early localization of the offending foreign body is crucial for timely management. As the dentures are usually made up of non-metallic material and often impacted at or below the level of C7 vertebra, conventional radiograph has limited role in their evaluation. We describe the clinical history and imaging findings of swallowed partial dentures in four patients who presented to the emergency department. The dentures were localized using unenhanced CT of the neck that showed the characteristic mildly hyperdense curvilinear or irregular appearance of the dentures within the upper esophagus. Multiplanar CT reconstructions provide an orientation of the ingested denture within the esophagus, thus guiding the endoscopist.

Keywords: Dentures; Foreign body; Partial dentures; Rigid esophagoscopy.