Corrosive oesophageal injury following vinegar ingestion

CH Chung
Accident and Emergency Department, North District Hospital, 9 Po Kin Road, Sheung Shui, Hong Kong

A 39-year-old woman drank one tablespoon of white vinegar in order to ‘soften’ crab shell stuck in her throat. Endoscopy revealed inflammation of the oropharynx and second-degree caustic injury of the oesophagus extending to the cardia. She had an uneventful recovery. This case report confirmed that vinegar could cause ulcerative injury to the oropharynx and oesophagus. The folklore application of vinegar ‘dislodging’ a foreign body in the throat should be strongly discouraged.

Hong Kong Med J 2002;8:365-6

Key words: Acetic acid; Endoscopy; Esophagus; Foreign bodies