A woman in her 70s referred to a clinic with neck discomfort manifesting one day after ingesting a soft-shelled-turtle. Laryngoscopy was performed and the findings were negative for esophageal foreign body impaction. Four days later, the patient visited another clinic due to worsening neck pain.
Computed tomography imaging was suggestive for foreign body impaction in the cervical esophagus and the patient was then transferred to our hospital. With the suspicion of cervical esophagus perforation and paraesophageal abscess formation, emergency endoscopy was performed to remove the foreign body. Endoscopy findings revealed a 3 cm-long bone penetrating both sides of the esophageal wall, which was then removed. After the procedure, the patient was managed with nil-per-os and was treated with antibiotics. The treatment was continued for a total of seven days. Follow-up endoscopy demonstrated the epithelialization of the perforation site. The patient was discharged on the twelfth day after the first procedure. Although esophageal perforation due to a soft-shelled-turtle ingestion is relatively rare, the awareness of the physician is important for quick and efficient treatment.
