Publication:

Migrating foreign body of oesophagus: an enigmatic presentation

Ingested foreign bodies are medical emergencies that test the clinical acumen and skill of the otolaryngologist. The foreign body may be intra-luminal, intra-mural (penetrating the wall) or extra-luminal. The migration of an ingested foreign bodies extraluminally from the upper aero-digestive tract is a rare occurrence which may be difficult to diagnose and treat. Time is of essence in detection and management of these cases so that life threatening complications can be prevented. We present a case of a 51 years old female patient with a metallic foreign body in the oesophagus which migrated extraluminally. Surgical Exploration via transcervical approach was done to gain access for removal of the foreign body.