Extraluminal perforation complicating foreign bodies in the upper aerodigestive tract

Pharyngeal Fish Hook Impaction: Case Report and Literature Review

Foreign bodies, particularly fish bones, in the hypopharynx and cervical esophagus are a common complaint. A swallowed foreign body can be embedded in the tonsil, the base of the tongue, the pyriform fossae, or any region of the upper esophagus. A 70-year-old woman presented with persistent left-sided pharyngeal pain with the sensation of a foreign body for 10 days. She felt a sudden sharp pain in her pharynx while eating a fish head 10 days before the presentation. On examination, an elderly woman was found in painful distress. Flexible fiberoptic laryngoscopy revealed a pool of saliva in the pyriform fossae and a diagnosis of a foreign body in the esophagus was suspected. She was planned for direct laryngoscopy, left (lateral/external) pharyngotomy, and removal of foreign bodies under fluoroscopic guidance of the C-arm. A metallic fish hook that hung over the greater left horn, buried in the neck muscles, was found during the surgery and was extracted. The patient did well postoperatively and was discharged from the clinic. Foreign bodies, particularly fish bones, in the hypopharynx and cervical esophagus are a common complaint, particularly in the African setting.

Migratory Foreign Bodies in the Aerodigestive Tract: The Importance of CT Imaging

Accidental ingestion of foreign bodies forms a major part of otorhinolaryngological emergencies. It is dangerous, as the foreign bodies tend to perforate the aerodigestive tract. Since endoscopy is diagnostic as well as therapeutic, it is preferred over computed tomography (CT) scan, especially in developing countries.

We present a case of a middle-aged man who presented with fever, neck swelling, and a five-day history of accidental ingestion of a foreign body. He underwent upper gastrointestinal endoscopy, which came out as normal. CT) imaging was performed, which showed migration of the foreign body to the parapharyngeal space and resulting abscess formation. The abscess was drained, and the foreign body was removed transcervically. We discuss this case to stress the role of CT imaging in the diagnosis of foreign bodies of the upper aerodigestive tract and propose an algorithm for the management of such cases. Upper gastrointestinal endoscopy alone would be insufficient to diagnose perforating and migrating foreign bodies, which may cause severe complications if left undiagnosed.

Transoral endoscopic approach to upper cervical spine migrated foreign bodies

BACKGROUND

Migrated ingested foreign bodies in the aerodigestive tract can lodge within vital organs and vessels, causing potentially devastating complications. It is often difficult to localise these foreign bodies, with extrication resulting in the requirement for open approaches which may cause significant morbidity.

CASE REPORT

This paper presents the case of an ingested migrated stingray bone lodged adjacent to the vertebral artery in the upper cervical spine. This was managed via an endoscopic transoral approach, with the assistance of an image-guidance system.

RESULTS

Successful extraction of the foreign body was achieved, with minimal residual morbidity.

CONCLUSION

Our study showed that image-guided endoscopic surgery is a safe, precise and feasible option for the localisation and removal of migrated foreign bodies in the aerodigestive tract involving critical neurovascular structures.

Cervical Esophagotomy for Foreign Body Extraction: A Case Report and Extensive Literature Review of the Last 20 Years

BACKGROUND Voluntary and involuntary ingestion of foreign bodies is a common condition; in most cases they pass through the digestive tract, but sometimes they stop, creating emergency situations for the patient. We report a case of meat bolus with cartilaginous component impacted in the cervical esophagus, with a brief literature review. CASE REPORT A 64-year-old man came to our attention for retention in the cervical esophagus of a piece of meat accidentally swallowed during lunch. After a few attempts of endoscopic removal carried out previously in other hospitals, the patient has been treated by us with a cervical esophagotomy and removal of the foreign body, without any complications. We checked the database of PubMed, Scopus, and the Cochrane Library from January 2007 to January 2017 in order to verify the presence of randomized controlled trials, clinical trials, retrospective studies, and case series regarding the use of the cervical esophagotomy for the extraction of foreign bodies impacted in the esophagus. CONCLUSIONS The crucial point is to differentiate the cases that must be immediately treated from those requiring simple observation. Endoscopic treatment is definitely the first therapeutic option, but in case of failure of this approach, in our opinion, cervical esophagotomy could be a safe, easy, viable, durable approach for the extraction of foreign bodies impacted in the cervical esophagus. Our review does not have the purpose of providing definitive conclusions but is intended to represent a starting point for subsequent studies.

Migratory Fish Bone in the Thyroid Gland: Case Report and Literature Review

Introduction

Foreign body stuck in the throat is a common emergency case, which can be removed by the endoscopic treatment. Fish bones are one of the common observed foreign bodies in the pharynx or cervical esophagus. Fish bones have a risk of damaging the mucosa when lodged in the upper digestive tract. Foreign bodies of fish bones located outside the laryngopharyngeal tissue are relatively unusual, and it is even more rare that they remain in the thyroid. It may cause local infection, abscess formation, large blood vessels rupture, and other serious life-threatening complications when the position of the fish bone migrates to the neck. We present a unique case of a 31-year-old woman in whom a fish bone was found in the thyroid. The fish bone had been removed successfully two months after the onset of symptoms. The relevant literature is reviewed and summarized.

Case Presentation

A foreign body which is located in the neck area by swallowing is usually found in the emergency case. One of the commonest foreign bodies is the fish bone. The common presenting symptoms include foreign body (FB) sensation and or a sharp pain during swallowing. But we report a rare case in which a migratory fish bone stuck in the thyroid gland was found after 3 months. We retrieved previous literature and made a summary.

Conclusions

Fish bones are not easy to be found as a foreign body. Surgeons should be aware that fish bones can become lodged in the thyroid gland. Combined with the history should be a wary fish bone to migrate to the case of the thyroid, to avoid misdiagnosis. To confirm the diagnosis, we can take ultrasound, computerized tomographic scanning (CT), and other tests.

Migrating Ingested Foreign Body of the Upper Aerodigestive Tract with Resultant Septic Shock: Case report and literature review

Complications due to foreign body ingestion are rare; however, if present, these can cause significant morbidity to the patient. An overlooked ingested foreign body could present as an emergency and may prove fatal. We present a case of an accidentally ingested foreign body with delayed presentation, which migrated to the neck and produced a cervical abscess presenting as septic shock. The patient required prompt stabilisation followed by surgical intervention. The patient's vital signs returned to normal on the second post-operative day, and he was discharged the following day.

The utility of repeated computed tomography to track a foreign body penetrating the esophagus to the level of the thyroid gland

OBJECTIVE

Foreign body (FB) ingestion is a common problem in otolaryngology. One uncommon complication of FB ingestion is penetration to the level of the thyroid gland. To our knowledge, only 21 such cases have been reported in the literature. Here, we report a case of an esophageal FB penetrating to the level of the right thyroid gland.

CASE REPORT

The patient was a 38-year-old woman in whom an esophageal FB penetrated to the level of the right thyroid gland. We traced the path to the thyroid gland using repeated computed tomography (CT) scans and demonstrated the importance of multiplanar reconstruction in locating the FB and formulating a precise surgical plan.

CONCLUSIONS

To our knowledge, this is the first report of repeat CT scans being used to demonstrate the migratory route, over time, of a FB penetrating through the esophagus to the level of the thyroid gland. Our results suggest that multiplanar reconstruction may play a key role in the precise diagnosis of a FB at the level of the thyroid gland and may help surgeons choose the best approach for removal.

Value of helical computed tomography in the early diagnosis of esophageal foreign bodies in adults

PURPOSE

To investigate the relationship between early use of computed tomography (CT) and complications associated with esophageal foreign body impaction in adults.

MATERIAL AND METHODS

A retrospective study was performed on 120 patients (63 females, 57 males, median age 50 years) with a history of foreign bodies. All had negative findings on clinical examination. All cases underwent unenhanced helical CT, and patients with positive findings underwent esophagoscopy within 6 hours. All patients were followed up postoperatively.

RESULTS

CT demonstrated 100% sensitivity, 92.6% specificity, 100% negative predictive value, and 97.9% positive predictive value. Esophageal foreign bodies were associated with a high incidence of complications in adults, and there was a significant difference in the incidence of complications between different durations of impaction (P < .01). In total, 37 patients presented with complications: 32 patients with grade I, 3 with grade II, 2 with grade III, and 0 with grade IV.

CONCLUSIONS

Esophageal foreign bodies were associated with a high incidence of complications in adults. CT could detect foreign bodies accurately in the early stages, and then FBs could be removed as early as possible, which may reduce the incidence of complications. Moreover, the great majority of complications were of lower grades. Thus, CT may be a useful first-line radiological tool for the early diagnosis of esophageal foreign bodies in adults.

Endoscopic management of impacted esophageal foreign bodies

There are many reports on the endoscopic management of ingested foreign bodies in the upper gastrointestinal tract, however, little is known about the management of a specific subset of esophageal foreign bodies - impacted esophageal foreign bodies (IEFBs), especially perforating esophageal foreign bodies (PEFBs). The aim of this retrospective study on 78 cases was to report experience and outcome in the endoscopic management of the IEFBs in Chinese patients. From January 2006 to July 2011, a total of 750 patients with suspected upper gastrointestinal foreign bodies were admitted to the endoscopy center. Among these 750 patients, 78 cases that met the defined criteria of IEFBs were retrospectively enrolled in the present study, including 12 cases (12/78, 15.4%) with PEFBs. The major types of IEFBs were poultry bones (35.9%) and fish bones (17.9%). Most of the IEFBs (80.8%) were located in the upper esophagus, as were two thirds (66.7%) of the PEFBs. Foreign-body retrieval forceps were the most frequently used accessory devices. Extraction of IEFBs failed in eight patients (10.3%) during the endoscopic procedure. The difficult points in endoscopic management were PEFBs, IEFBs with sharp points, and those with impaction for more than 24 hours. IEFBs should be treated as early as possible, and their endoscopic management is safe and effective. Endoscopic management is the first choice for PEFBs when the duration of impaction is less than 24 hours and there are no abscesses outside of the esophageal tract as determined by a computed tomography scan.