Removal of a foreign body (artificial tooth) from the bronchial tree: a new method

A 70-year-old man who had aspirated an artificial tooth during treatment at a dental clinic visited our hospital. His symptoms and physical condition were not remarkable. CT of chest revealed a foreign body in the right middle bronchus; bronchoscopy revealed it was wedged there. First, the authors tried to remove it using a suction device attached to a bronchoscope, as well as by using a forcep; however, the attempt failed. Therefore, a second effort was made using a cap constructed of a nasogastric tube, based on the concept of attaching an endoscopic cap to a bronchoscope. The latter was successful.