Case report of lanthanum deposition in the esophagus

A 69-year-old woman had received hemodialysis for chronic renal failure and was taking lanthanum carbonate since 63 years of age. She presented with appetite loss and nausea. We performed esophagogastroduodenoscopy, which revealed multiple longitudinal white plaques in the esophagus. Lesion biopsies showed lanthanum deposition, and lanthanum carbonate was found histologically by energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy. The plaques of this patient appeared like those of dabigatran-induced esophagitis, and may have occurred due to long-term contact of the esophageal epithelium with lanthanum carbonate because patient spent time in lying state. Although a few studies regarding lanthanum deposition in the stomach have been conducted, there are no reports on lanthanum deposition in the esophagus. This case suggests that the presence of longitudinal white plaques in the esophagus may indicate lanthanum deposition.