Mussel Shell Impaction in the Esophagus

Mussels are commonly used in cooking around the world. The mussel shell breaks more easily than other shells, and the edge of the broken mussel shell is sharp. Impaction can ultimately cause erosion, perforation and fistula. Aside from these complications, the pain can be very intense. Therefore, it...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Sunmin Kim, Hyung Hun Kim, Gook Hwan Jang, Jun Young Song
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Karger Publishers 2013-03-01
Series:Case Reports in Gastroenterology
Subjects:
Online Access:http://www.karger.com/Article/FullText/350191
Description
Summary:Mussels are commonly used in cooking around the world. The mussel shell breaks more easily than other shells, and the edge of the broken mussel shell is sharp. Impaction can ultimately cause erosion, perforation and fistula. Aside from these complications, the pain can be very intense. Therefore, it is essential to verify and remove the shell as soon as possible. In this report we describe the process of diagnosing and treating mussel shell impaction in the esophagus. Physicians can overlook this unusual foreign body impaction due to lack of experience. When physicians encounter a patient with severe chest pain after a meal with mussels, mussel shell impaction should be considered when diagnosing and treating the patient.
ISSN:1662-0631