2022 Volume 73 Issue 4 Pages 286-291
The case is a female in her 80s. She was referred to our department because she had no subjective symptoms and a foreign body was pointed out by an imaging test. Various examinations suggested that a metallic foreign body had completely invaded the pharyngeal esophageal cavity near the right lobe of the thyroid gland. No inflammatory findings such as abscess were observed. Since the foreign body could not be confirmed endoscopically and could not be removed endoscopically and orally, an extracervical incision was judged to be necessary in order to remove the foreign body. After examining the localization of the foreign body in detail by cervical ultrasonography and 3D-CT, foreign body removal surgery by cervical incision was performed under general anesthesia. Consistent with the preoperative examination, a metal dental foreign body was found outside the pharyngeal cavity and could be removed without damaging the recurrent laryngeal nerve. No problems occurred after the operation. Foreign bodies that have completely entered the pharyngeal esophageal cavity may take some time to be detected if there are no signs of inflammation. Neck incision surgery is often required to remove the foreign body. We believe that it is possible to safely and reliably remove a foreign body after conducting a detailed preoperative examination.
