Fluoroscopy Guided Removal of a Metallic Foreign Body in the Neck: A Case Report

Foreign bodies in the neck are common in the otolaryngology practice. They should be removed as early as possible because many complications such as migration, granuloma formation, recurrent infection, neck abscesses and great vessel ruptures may occur. Different imaging techniques have been described for the localization of metal foreign bodies in the head and neck. Plain radiographs, computed tomography, magnetic resonance imaging and ultrasound may be used depending on the site and composition of the foreign bodies. We present a 26 year old man with a history of one metal foreign body removed in another institute but still having another one that could not be found and removed. Fluoroscopic imaging was used for navigation procedures in the surgery room and the foreign body was removed. Fluoroscopy is a simple and very reliable method for the intraoperative localization of radiopaque foreign objects in the head and neck region.