Swallowed foreign body - chicken bone

Case contributed by Ian Bickle
Diagnosis certain

Presentation

Neck pain following eating.

Patient Data

Age: 60 years
Gender: Female
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Large bony foreign body in the neck soft tissues, anterior to the C7 vertebral body. Small amount of gas surrounding the foreign body.

This study is a stack
Axial
non-contrast
This study is a stack
Sagittal
non-contrast
This study is a stack
Sagittal
bone window
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A large bone foreign body - longer than one vertebral body lies in the pre-vertebral soft tissues at the C7 level.

The gas around it delineates it well.

 

Photograph
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Large piece of bone removed via fibroendoscopy.

Case Discussion

Ingested foreign bodies are a genuine concern - uncorrected perforation of the pharynx or esophagus may occur.

Fish bones are most commonly swallowed because they are small and harder to dissect out of meals. However, on occasion, animal bones may also be inadvertently swallowed.  

Certain factors make this more likely, such as an altered cognitive or mental status, e.g. the consumption of significant amounts of alcohol.

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