Intestinal Obstruction Following Ingestion of Alginate Dental Impression Material

Introduction: No medical intervention is required for emergency department applications resulting from foreign body ingestion. Patients who need intervention are generally with complications such as obstruction, perforation or fistula. Alginate is a non-toxic and non-irritant substance that is elastic in the form of a paste preserving its elasticity under heat, which is used as a printing material for measuring the teeth in dental prosthesis applications. A case of ileus developing as a result of ingestion of alginate impression has been presented. Case report: A 74-year-old male patient presented to our emergency department due to abdominal pain nausea and vomiting. He described periumbilical pain and stated that he felt mild swelling. He had vomit one time and the content of vomit was what he had eaten. On physical examination, his abdomen was slightly distended, bowel sounds had increased slightly on auscultation and there was mild periumbilical tenderness with palpation, with no defence or rebound. On the abdominal CT evaluation, a homogeneous, lobulated, hyperintense foreign body image was detected in the distal ileus and distension in the small bowel loops proximal to the foreign body was interpreted. After general surgery consultation, distal ileal resection was performed and pink, homogenous, slightly soft charactered object was extrected. Later this object was understood to be alginate impression. Conclusion: Elderly patients in particular, ileus may occur due to foreign body associated with dental interventions, and in such cases, patients may need surgical intervention.