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Case Reports
. 2011 Jan;18(1):72-5.

Metallic foreign body penetrating the carotid sheath: a case report

Hemanth Vamanshankar  1 , Arun B Nair, Nandakumar Rajan
Affiliations
Case Reports

Metallic foreign body penetrating the carotid sheath: a case report

Hemanth Vamanshankar et al. Malays J Med Sci. 2011 Jan.

Abstract

Foreign bodies are a common problem seen in otolaryngological practice. Of the reported foreign bodies, metallic foreign bodies are a rare entity. One of the least common complications of foreign body ingestion is penetration and migration. We describe a case of a migrating metallic foreign body in a 50-year-old woman with a history of accidental ingestion causing odynophagia. In the present case, the foreign body migrated extraluminally into the carotid sheath. Our review of literature revealed that few such cases have been reported.

Keywords: foreign bodies; foreign-body migration; head neck; medical imaging; metals; neck; otolyngology.

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Figures

Figure 1:
Figure 1:
Foreign body visualised on a radiograph at the time of admission.
Figure 2:
Figure 2:
Computed tomography image showing the foreign body in the lateral pharyngeal wall.
Figure 3:
Figure 3:
(a) Needles placed below the skin to help locate the foreign body. (b) Foreign body with the two needles seen on an intraoperative radiograph.
Figure 3:
Figure 3:
(a) Needles placed below the skin to help locate the foreign body. (b) Foreign body with the two needles seen on an intraoperative radiograph.
Figure 4:
Figure 4:
Foreign body found embedded in the carotid sheath.
Figure 5:
Figure 5:
Foreign body post-removal.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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