An Unusual Presentation of Impacted Laryngeal Foreign Body in an Adult

Document Type : Case report

Authors

1 HOSPITAL SULTANAH NORA ISMAIL JALAN KORMA TAMAN SOGA 83000 BATU PAHAT, JOHOR

2 Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Hospital Sultanah Nora Ismail, Malaysia

Abstract

Introduction: Foreign body is a rare occurrence in adults, and the larynx is the least common site of a foreign body to be impacted. Furthermore, the usual presentation includes dysphagia, chronic cough, hoarseness or dyspnea. This is an ENT emergency requiring prompt diagnosis and treatment. However, we report a case in which an adult patient had an impacted laryngeal foreign body with very benign symptoms of 1-month duration.
Case report: We present a case of a 53-year-old Orang Asli with the chief complain of sore throat for a month duration. He had history of foreign body ingestion about a month ago. Otherwise, he has no odynophagia, dysphagia, change of voice or shortness of breath. Flexible nasopharyngolaryngoscope revealed a fish bone embedded at the right false cord. Airway was not compromised. The foreign body was successfully removed under general anaesthesia without any complications.
Conclusion: Foreign body in airway is a life-threatening event. It can cause upper airway obstruction. Impacted laryngeal foreign body may present with commonplace symptoms, as seen in our case. A complete history is important in order to make a diagnosis and eventually come into prompt management

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