CASE-REPORT - SWALLOWED HEARING-AID

An 86-year-old man presented ambulatory with acute dysphagia. Radiolog ic examination and endoscopy revealed a swallowed postauricular hearin g aid. The earmold of the hearing aid became visible in the hypopharyn x after mucus and saliva were removed. It could be extracted without e ffort once the connecting tube was disconnected from the coupling devi ce lodged in the upper esophageal sphincter. The hearing aid itself wa s impacted in the proximal esophagus and was extracted without any pro blems. The postoperative phase was uneventful with normal swallowing a nd discharge. Technical inspection revealed that the hearing aid no lo nger worked. Diffusion of toxic substances (zink, mercury) from the im pacted batteries is not to be expected.