Published online Nov 16, 2016. doi: 10.12998/wjcc.v4.i11.375
Peer-review started: April 22, 2016
First decision: July 5, 2016
Revised: August 1, 2016
Accepted: August 27, 2016
Article in press: August 29, 2016
Published online: November 16, 2016
Foreign body (FB) ingestion is very common in Malaysian population. The most commonly ingested FB is fish bone. Common presenting symptoms include FB sensation, odynophagia and or sharp pricking pain during swallowing. A careful history and physical examination is very important. Despite negative laryngoscopy and rigid esophagoscopy, persistent symptoms warrants further radiographic imaging studies. The FB can migrate extraluminally and involve other important adjacent structures of the neck and along the digestive tract. We report 3 cases of extraluminal migration of fish bone and their complications, which were successfully managed. One case with vascular complication which involve common carotid artery and the other two cases with neck abscess formation involving thyroid gland, retropharyngeal and parapharyngeal abscess.
Core tip: Accidental fish bone ingestion is very common but the complication of migrating fish bone into the neck spaces causing abscess and adjacent important structures of the neck alarm us the need for earlier detection and intervention. This case report represents 3 cases of foreign body ingestion which has a life threatening complications but successfully treated and factors that lead to these complications identified.