Dairy products containers as a source of unusual esophageal foreign bodies

Seven patients were treated during a period of three years in the Otolaryngology department of Tel-Aviv Medical Centre, Israel, for the ingestion of a strange, previously unknown foreign body. The objects had been inadvertently swallowed while eating certain dairy products such as yogurt or sour cream. This rigid, sharp pointed plastic object is a waste product which is punched out from the production line of the foods and their containers. The plastic object is radiolucent and, therefore, difficult to identify on standard roentgenograms. Fluoroscopic examination with a contrast medium was needed for its demonstration. Five patients underwent rigid esophagoscopy under general anesthesia for removal of the foreign body. In two other cases the object was extracted from the piriform sinus under topical anesthesia. This unusual foreign body, although uncommon, poses a potential medical hazard. A high index of suspicion is necessary to make the diagnosis when a patient presents with a history of foreign body ingestion while eating dairy products of soft consistency.