Abstract
A case of a fish bone stuck in the pharynx and reaching the danger space was reported. The patient, 60-year-old female, swallowed a fish bone, resulting in a retropharyngeal abscess. A CT scan showed a marked swelling of the retropharynx with a fish bone located near the center of this swelling. After treatment with steroid hormones and antibiotics for 5 days, the patient recovered from her symptoms. An endoscopic examination was performed to detect the fish bone but failed to find it. Then the patient underwent surgery to extract the fish bone by external incision. During this operation, it was difficult to detect the foreign body because it had escaped from the retropharyngeal space where was expected to be. Finally, it was found in the danger space. From this, it was concluded that the fish bone had penetrated the pharyngeal muscle and alar fascia, sticking in the danger space. After the operation, the patient was found to have a pharygeal fistula because of salivary secretion from the drainage. With drainage of the retropharyngeal space and intravenous hyperalimentation, the fistula improved about one month later.
