The 14-centimeter-long handle of a toothbrush that a woman in her 20s swallowed nearly two weeks ago was removed Thursday from the duodenum in her small intestine before it was able to cause any damage, according to Rehovot's Kaplan Medical Center. Gastroenterology institute chief Dr. Ehud Meltzer said that the very rare case was apparently unintentional, as the woman wanted to cause herself to vomit. The top of the brush broke off before she swallowed the handle. In surgery, the Kaplan team managed to pull the handle back into the stomach and then pull it out via her throat with the loop on a gastroscope. She is recovering and in good condition.
(photo credit: The Jerusalem Post)