Delayed chicken bone removal from the esophagus

Abstract

SUMMARY
Foreign body (FB) ingestion is frequently encountered in
clinical practice. Only 10-20% of all cases need endoscopic
removal. However, complications may occur and can be fatal,
especially regarding sharp FB. Emergency endoscopy
is the method of choice for both diagnosis and removal of
any impacted FB. We report a case of a 53-year-old female
who was admitted to our hospital for chicken bone ingestion
a week ago. During that time she had been examined at
another hospital and the X-ray misinterpreted as normal.
When she was referred to our hospital, an emergency flexible
endoscopy was performed, and an impacted chicken bone
was removed from the upper esophagus, revealing deep
ulcers on the esophageal wall. We present radiographic, CT,
and endoscopic findings and conclude that in adults, emergency
upper GI endoscopy is a quick, easy to perform, reliable
and safe method for diagnosing and handling FB
ingestion, even in difficult and neglected cases.
Key words: foreign body, bone impaction, flexible endoscopy,
esophagoscopy