A Case of a Migrating Foreign Body in the Esophagus of a 65-Year-Old Woman

Authors

  • Miguel Limbert Q. Ramos, MD Bataan General Hospital and Medical Center https://orcid.org/0009-0007-2645-3875
  • Emmanuel S. Samson, MD Ospital ng Maynila Medical Center

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.32412/pjohns.v40i.2697

Keywords:

foreign-body migration, esophagoscopy, lateral pharyngotomy

Abstract

Objective: To report a case of a migrating foreign body in the esophagus of a 65- year-old woman: its clinical presentation, diagnosis and management.

Methods:
Design: Case Report
Setting: Tertiary Government Training Hospital
Patient: One

Results: A 65-year-old woman consulted with a history of foreign body ingestion (chicken bone). Initial imaging confirmed the presence of the ingested object. Rigid esophagoscopy did not find the foreign body. Subsequent neck computed tomography (CT) scan revealed a hyperdense, spindle-shaped object situated lateral to the left esophagus. The foreign object was successfully retrieved via a lateral pharyngotomy approach without complication.

Conclusion: Migrating foreign bodies may initially present with minimal or nonspecific symptoms such as foreign body sensation or dysphagia but can progress to more overt signs. In such cases, CT offers superior localization compared to radiographs and is essential in guiding definitive surgical management to facilitate safe and effective foreign body retrieval. Rigid esophagoscopy remains a valuable tool for confirming migration and evaluating for mucosal injury or perforation. When endoscopic retrieval is unsuccessful, timely surgical intervention is critical to prevent serious complications.

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Published

2025-09-20

How to Cite

1.
Ramos ML, Samson E. A Case of a Migrating Foreign Body in the Esophagus of a 65-Year-Old Woman. Philipp J Otolaryngol Head Neck Surg [Internet]. 2025 Sep. 20 [cited 2026 May 1];:29-32. Available from: https://pjohns.pso-hns.org/index.php/pjohns/article/view/2697

Issue

Vol. 40 Supplement (2025): Philippine Journal of Otolaryngology Head and Neck Surgery

Section

Case Reports

License

Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.

Copyright transfer (all authors; where the work is not protected by a copyright act e.g. US federal employment at the time of manuscript preparation, and there is no copyright of which ownership can be transferred, a separate statement is hereby submitted by each concerned author). In consideration of the action taken by the Philippine Journal of Otolaryngology Head and Neck Surgery in reviewing and editing this manuscript, I hereby assign, transfer and convey all rights, title and interest in the work, including copyright ownership, to the Philippine Society of Otolaryngology Head and Neck Surgery, Inc. (PSOHNS) in the event that this work is published by the PSOHNS. In making this assignment of ownership, I understand that all accepted manuscripts become the permanent property of the PSOHNS and may not be published elsewhere without written permission from the PSOHNS unless shared under the terms of a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International (CC BY-NC-ND 4.0) license.