Three Cases of an Eshophageal Foreign Body Caused by Coin-shaped Rock Called Maeksum-seok.
- Author:
Tae Nyoung CHUNG
1
;
Yoo Sang YOON
;
In Cheol PARK
;
Kwang Hyun CHO
;
Seung Ho KIM
Author Information
1. Department of Emergency Medicine, Yonsei University College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea. edksh@yumc.yonsei.ac.kr
- Publication Type:Case Report
- Keywords:
Foreign body;
Esophagus;
Coin
- MeSH:
Adult;
Endoscopy;
Esophagus;
Foreign Bodies*;
Humans;
Medicine, Traditional;
Mouth;
Numismatics;
Sensation
- From:Journal of the Korean Society of Emergency Medicine
2003;14(5):708-711
- CountryRepublic of Korea
- Language:Korean
-
Abstract:
Generally, the occurrence of an esophageal foreign body due to a coin-like material is rare in adults. The Maeksumseok is a kind of rock that is believed to be good for health in Korean folk medicine. Thus, people use a Maeksumseok in various ways, one of which is keeping coin-shaped Maeksum-seok in the mouth. Because of this use, it is easy to swallow a Maeksum-seok coin by accident, and a swallowed Maeksum-seok coin will easily lodge in esophagus. We experienced three cases of an esophageal foreign body caused by a Maeksum-seok coin. The patients swallowed the Maeksum-seok coin accidentally while sleeping with the Maeksum-seok coin in their mouth for health reasons. The problem is that it was hard to detect the Maeksum-seok coin by using a simple radiologic study. However, the patients in these cases complained of a sustained foreign body sensation, so we used endoscopy. The foreign bodies were easily detected and removed by endoscopy in both cases.
