Chest pain: Overlooked manifestation of unsuspected esophageal foreign body

Two cases of unsuspected esophageal foreign body ingestion with chest pain as the main symptom are reported. Both patients had extensive cardiac evalu ation to rule out myocardial ischemia. They were discharged home with conti nuing chest pain and odynophagia. Both patients were denture wearers, and f urther questioning revealed the coincidence of chest pain with taking meals . Further evaluation revealed an impacted esophageal foreign body in one pa tient and an esophageal perforation with a mediastinal abscess in the other . These cases illustrate the importance of considering esophageal foreign b odies as factors in chest pain.