%0 Journal Article
%T Migration of a Swallowed Blunt Foreign Body to the Neck
%A Kerem Ozturk
%A Goksel Turhal
%A Sercan Gode
%A Atilla Yavuzer
%J Case Reports in Otolaryngology
%D 2014
%I Hindawi Publishing Corporation
%R 10.1155/2014/646785
%X Ingestion of foreign bodies is a common problem in the otolaryngology practice. Reports of extraluminal migration of the foreign bodies from the upper aerodigestive tract are rare. Penetration and extraluminal migration of ingested foreign bodies may cause severe vascular and suppurative complications, even death. We report a 4-year-old girl who presented with a mass and partial extrusion of a foreign body in the neck. She had a history of ingesting the plastic top piece of a knitting needle approximately 1 year ago. She had been asymptomatic until the present time. The examination revealed a red, blunt, rectangular plastic foreign body half embedded in the skin of the right neck. Esophagography with barium swallow, cervical X-rays, and computed tomography scans were obtained. The foreign body was easily removed under general anesthesia. Primary closure and direct laryngoscopy was also performed. The patient recovered very well without any complications. 1. Introduction Foreign body ingestion is a common problem among pediatric populations. Most of the ingested foreign bodies pass naturally through the gastrointestinal tract, but 10¨C20% require nonoperative intervention and 1% or less require surgery [1]. Even though there are numerous case reports of ingested foreign bodies of the upper aerodigestive tract, only a small number perforate the esophagus and an even smaller fraction migrate extraluminally. Most of these migratory foreign bodies reported so far have been fish bones and other sharp objects. The case described here is a report of an ingested blunt, plastic foreign body migrating into the neck. This case highlights the possibility that relatively big blunt foreign bodies can also penetrate the mucosa, migrate extraluminally, and present as a foreign body in the neck. 2. Case Report A 4-year-old girl was referred to our institution with a mass and partial extrusion of a foreign body in the neck. Symptoms started 4 days ago with a redness and swelling on the right neck, followed by partial extrusion of a red, blunt foreign body. A computed tomography (CT) scan revealed a foreign body with prominent margins anterior to sternocleidomastoid and infrahyoid muscles, half being embedded in the skin and the other half being outside (Figure 1). No fistula was found with the deeper tissues. The family remembered that the girl swallowed the plastic top piece of a knitting needle approximately one year ago. She had been asymptomatic until the present time. Figure 1: Computed tomography section that shows the foreign body in the right side of the neck
%U http://www.hindawi.com/journals/criot/2014/646785/