28 May 2026
: Case report 
A 40-Year-Old Man With 2-Year Chronic Epigastric Pain From a Retained 18-cm Toothbrush: Endoscopic Management and Clinical Decision-Making
Mistake in diagnosis, Unusual or unexpected effect of treatment, Rare disease
Jingjing Hu ABCDEFG 1, Yinqing Hu ABCDEF 1, Dayong Sun EG 1, Shihua Ding F 1, Jiahuang Huang
ABCDEFG 1*
DOI: 10.12659/AJCR.952225
Am J Case Rep 2026; 27:e952225
Figure 2 Endoscopic findings and staged removal of the retained toothbrushUpper gastrointestinal endoscopy demonstrated a retained toothbrush extending from the gastric antrum into the descending duodenum. (A) The brush head was seen in the gastric antrum. (B) The handle extended into the descending duodenum, and the surrounding mucosa appeared intact. (C) The toothbrush head was grasped with a polypectomy snare in the gastric cavity. (D) With snare guidance, the toothbrush was carefully delivered past the epiglottis during extraction. (E) Repeat endoscopic inspection after removal showed intact duodenal mucosa without visible perforation, fistula, bleeding, or procedure-related injury. (F) The removed toothbrush measured 18 cm in total length.