Case Report
Copyright ©The Author(s) 2021. Published by Baishideng Publishing Group Inc. All rights reserved.
World J Clin Cases. Oct 26, 2021; 9(30): 9129-9133
Published online Oct 26, 2021. doi: 10.12998/wjcc.v9.i30.9129
Unusual cervical foreign body - a neglected thermometer for 5 years: A case report
Liu Yang, Wen Li
Liu Yang, Wen Li, Department of Otolaryngology and Head & Neck Surgery, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu 610041, Sichuan Province, China
Author contributions: Yang L designed the work and drafted the paper; all authors contributed to the revision and final approval of the paper; all authors have read and approved the final manuscript.
Informed consent statement: Written informed consent was obtained from the patient for the publication of the case report and the accompanying images.
Conflict-of-interest statement: The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest to report.
CARE Checklist (2016) statement: The authors have read the CARE Checklist (2016), and the manuscript was prepared and revised according to the CARE Checklist (2016).
Open-Access: This article is an open-access article that was selected by an in-house editor and fully peer-reviewed by external reviewers. It is distributed in accordance with the Creative Commons Attribution NonCommercial (CC BY-NC 4.0) license, which permits others to distribute, remix, adapt, build upon this work non-commercially, and license their derivative works on different terms, provided the original work is properly cited and the use is non-commercial. See: http://creativecommons.org/Licenses/by-nc/4.0/
Corresponding author: Wen Li, MD, PhD, Assistant Professor, Surgeon, Department of Otolaryngology and Head & Neck Surgery, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, No. 37 E Guoxue Alley, Chengdu 610041, Sichuan Province, China. church.ent.wc@163.com
Received: June 3, 2021
Peer-review started: June 3, 2021
First decision: June 25, 2021
Revised: June 26, 2021
Accepted: August 18, 2021
Article in press: August 18, 2021
Published online: October 26, 2021
Processing time: 139 Days and 18 Hours
Abstract
BACKGROUND

Foreign body in the deep neck is mostly associated with accidental ingestion of the animal spiculate bone which penetrates the full-thickness of the aerodigestive tract into the fascial spaces of the neck. In general, perforation of the esophagus often results in periesophagitis and even fatal abscesses. The presence of a giant foreign body in the neck without obvious symptoms or complications for many years is rare.

CASE SUMMARY

We present the case of a 32-year-old man who intentionally swallowed a thermometer which was unable to be located by endoscopy at his initial visit. He had no remarkable symptoms for 5 years other than paresthesia and limited movement of the left neck until 7 d before this admission. The foreign body was removed successfully by the surgery.

CONCLUSION

The presence of a giant foreign body in the neck without obvious symptoms or complications for many years is rare. Both endoscopic and radiological examinations are essential for the diagnosis of alimentary foreign bodies.

Keywords: Cervical foreign body; Thermometer ingestion; Neck radiography; Open neck surgery; Case report

Core Tip: Foreign body in the deep neck is mostly associated with accidental ingestion of the animal spiculate bone. These emergency accidents need timely diagnosis and treatment, otherwise they might cause fatal complications such as neck abscess or macrovascular injury. We present the case of a 32-year-old man who intentionally swallowed a thermometer which was unable to be located by endoscopy at his initial visit. He had no remarkable symptoms for 5 years as the long-term retention of the foreign body resulted in the formation of the surrounding fibrous membrane. This case implies that both endoscopic and radiological examinations are essential for the diagnosis of alimentary foreign bodies.