Mahmoudi Moufida, Nasr Sahar, Khsiba Amal, Medhioub Mouna, Hamzaoui Lamine, Azzouz Mohamed Mssadek
Department of Gastroenterology, Mohamed Tahar Maamouri University Hospital, Faculty of Medicine of Tunis, Nabeul, Tunisia.
Future Sci OA. 2022 Jun 27;8(6):FSO802. doi: 10.2144/fsoa-2022-0023. eCollection 2022 Jul.
Leeches are carnivorous, hermaphroditic, segmented worms mainly found in fresh water. The majority of leech attachments are external and short-lasting. Internal surfaces can be involved. Yet, esophageal attachment is very rare. We report a case of a 59-year-old female who presented with hematemesis, melena and chest pain. Upper gastrointestinal endoscopy revealed a round black foreign body in the mid-third of the esophagus identified as a leech. We carefully extracted the worm with a forceps applied to the middle of its body. The diagnosis of leech infestation should be kept in mind when exploring gastrointestinal bleeding in patients living in rural areas and those with poor living conditions.
水蛭是肉食性、雌雄同体的环节动物，主要生活在淡水中。大多数水蛭附着是体表的且持续时间短。内表面也可能受累。然而，食管附着非常罕见。我们报告一例59岁女性，表现为呕血黑便和胸痛。上消化道内镜检查发现食管中三分之一处有一个圆形黑色异物，经鉴定为水蛭。我们用镊子小心地将水蛭从其身体中部取出。对于生活在农村地区和生活条件差的患者，在探究胃肠道出血原因时应考虑水蛭感染的诊断。
