A perforation due to the ingestion of a toothpick is a condition seldom seen in the stomach. We herein describe an 80-year-old
woman with a perforation of the stomach due to an ingested hollow toothpick. The toothpick was easily removed during a mini-laparotomy.
The site of perforation was closed with absorbable sutures and omentum was used to function as an overlying patch. The postoperative
course was uncomplicated. The hollow toothpick functioned as a fistula between the contents of the stomach and the peritoneal
cavity. This resulted in a very different clinical picture from that observed in “classical wooden” toothpick injury, where
the toothpick is not able to function as a fistula. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first description of a hollow
toothpick perforating the stomach. A hollow toothpick perforation must be considered in any patient with symptoms of intestinal
perforation, even when there is no history of swallowing toothpicks. Removal of a toothpick and subsequent suturing of the
puncture site is a simple and relatively minor surgical procedure, which may have a lower morbidity and mortality as compared
to other causes of gastric perforation. A precaution to observe, is the potential danger that one of the members of the operating
team might perforate a finger.
Key words Foreign body - Toothpick - Gastric perforation
Received: July 31, 2001 / Accepted: January 8, 2002