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Laryngeal foreign body (chicken bone)

Case contributed by Derek Smith
Diagnosis probable

Presentation

Sudden onset throat pain while eating chicken. Some odynophagia but still managing to swallow food and liquids.

Patient Data

Age: 25 years
Gender: Female

XR neck soft tissue - thin 10 mm opacity projecting vertically over the pyriform fossae and into the hypopharynx.

No soft tissue swelling or gas.

Annotated image

Suspected foreign body, arrow marked. 

Case Discussion

The patient was transferred from the ED to an ENT center. At the time of flexible nasendoscopy, minor pharyngeal trauma only was detected and no foreign body was evident.

This was probably a chicken bone that was lodged, then swallowed, with no further complaint.

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