A Pediatric Case of a Foreign Body (Piece of Wooden Chopstick) Embedded in the Epipharynx after Piercing the Soft Palate

Abstract

Injuries of the oral cavity and pharynx are fairly frequent in children, because they often play with foreign objects in their mouths. In most cases, the injury is superficial and heals without any complications. However, objects penetrating into deeper tissues may need to be surgically removed.

We report a pediatric case of an intraoral penetration injury caused by a long piece of a chopstick embedded in the epipharynx after piercing the soft palate. A 1-year-old male child was referred to our hospital emergency unit due to oral bleeding. By the time of the examination, the bleeding from injured soft palate had stopped, and his general condition was good. The chopstick piece was not visible in his mouth or epipharynx. However, computed tomography (CT) revealed the chopstick piece embedded in the epipharynx after piercing the soft palate. We removed the foreign body under general anesthesia on the same day. After the operation, there were no problems, and the child was discharged four days later.

In the case of a child, it is difficult to assess the subjective condition of the patient, identify the site of pain or determine the circumstances of the accident. Even if the foreign body is not identified, it is important to carry out a quick and thorough examination and provied appropriate treatment. In the present case, CT was useful for the diagnosis of the foreign body embedden in the epipharynx, which was not visible from the mouth.