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Inhaled foreign body

Case contributed by Ian Bickle
Diagnosis certain

Presentation

Young mum happily doing a spot of sewing holding pins in mouth. Ooppps one gets inhaled.

Patient Data

Age: 40 years
Gender: Female
x-ray

Thin linear density projects over the distal right main bronchus - in keeping with a foreign body within the airway.

Lungs clear.

Case Discussion

An inhaled foreign body tend to be commoner in small children than adults.

On occasion however a host of objects from pins and needles, nuts, coins and more may be inhaled or ingested.

Radio-opague foreign bodies are visualized on x-ray.   Endoscopy if the first line treatment.

Collapse, consolidation or air trapping may occur distally.

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