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Copyright: ©Author(s) 2026. This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial (CC BY-NC 4.0) license. No commercial re-use. See permissions. Published by Baishideng Publishing Group Inc.
World J Clin Cases. Aug 6, 2026; 14(22): 121636
Published online Aug 6, 2026. doi: 10.12998/wjcc.121636
Successful endoscopic fragmentation and removal of an impacted esophageal denture: A case report
Ravi Teja Reddy, Venkatesh Vaithiyam, Gundluru Zakeer Hussain, Yokesh Arul, Ujjwal Sonika, Ashok Dalal, Siddharth Srivastava, Sanjeev Sachdeva
Ravi Teja Reddy, Venkatesh Vaithiyam, Gundluru Zakeer Hussain, Yokesh Arul, Ujjwal Sonika, Ashok Dalal, Siddharth Srivastava, Sanjeev Sachdeva, Department of Gastroenterology, Govind Ballabh Pant Institute of Post Graduate Medical Education and Research, New Delhi 110002, Delhi, India
Author contributions: Reddy RT and Vaithiyam V wrote the original draft; Vaithiyam V, Sonika U, and Sachdeva S contributed to the conceptualization, writing, reviewing, and editing; Hussain GZ, Arul Y, Dalal A and Vaithiyam V participated in drafting the manuscript; Vaithiyam V, Srivastava S, and Sachdeva S performed the final review of the manuscript; all authors read and approved the final version of the manuscript.
AI contribution statement: Portions of this manuscript were edited using AI tools (PaperPal) solely for language refinement. The authors carefully reviewed and verified all AI-assisted outputs and take full responsibility for the scientific content of the manuscript.
Informed consent statement: Written informed consent was obtained from the patient for the publication of this report and the accompanying images.
Conflict-of-interest statement: The authors declare no conflicts of interest.
CARE Checklist (2016) statement: The authors have read the CARE Checklist (2016), and the manuscript was prepared and revised according to the CARE Checklist (2016).
Corresponding author: Venkatesh Vaithiyam, DM, MD, Assistant Professor, Department of Gastroenterology, Govind Ballabh Pant Institute of Post Graduate Medical Education and Research, Jawaharlal Nehru Marg, New Delhi 110002, Delhi, India. venkateshvaithiyam172@gmail.com
Received: March 30, 2026
Revised: June 21, 2026
Accepted: June 30, 2026
Published online: August 6, 2026
Processing time: 127 Days and 19.6 Hours
Core Tip

Core Tip: Impacted dentures represent high-risk esophageal foreign bodies because their metal clasps and irregular edges can become firmly embedded in the mucosa, making conventional retrieval with snares or forceps technically challenging and potentially hazardous. This case highlights a novel stepwise endoscopic strategy that incorporates thulium laser-assisted partial fragmentation, followed by definitive mechanical fragmentation using a clutch cutter and subsequent basket retrieval, thereby avoiding highly morbid surgical intervention. The findings demonstrate that the combined use of energy-assisted and mechanical fragmentation serves as an effective rescue technique for the management of complex denture impactions when standard retrieval techniques are unsuccessful.

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