A Case of Migration of a Fishbone through the Oral Floor to the Anterior Cervical Region

Abstract

As we know, most foreign bodies are often removed easily. We experienced a case of a foreign body removed by transcervical approach. A 61 year-old-male had a sore throat for two days after ingesting a fish. At the first medical examination, we were unable to find the foreign body at his tonsilla palatina, pharynx or larynx, so the patient underwent a follow-up examination. One week later, his sore throat continued, and computed tomography (CT) revealed the foreign body in his oral floor. It was possible to remove it by the transoral approach at that time, and we proposed removing it immediately, but the patient did not accept. Forty three days later, the foreign body moved downwards. We removed it by not via the transoral but the transcervical approach. Granulation tissues had surrounded the foreign body. The patient’s postoperative progress was favorable. There are some points for consideration regarding not performing the operation immediately. There are severe complications associated with foreign bodies; such as abscess formation, vascular injury and so on. Furthermore, the transcervical approach is more invasive than the transoral one. Fortunately, our patient had no complications. On the other hand, he had peristent scars on his neck. From the above, we should perform CT imaging at the first visit, and remove any foreign body as soon as possible.