Management of Upper Airway Leech Infestations

Abstract

Purpose: Upper airway foreign body is one of the most encountered clinical situations in otolaryngology practice. In rare conditions, a living organism may be a foreign body in the upper airway. In this study, we demonstrate 19 patients with leech infestations in nose, nasopharynx, and larynx.

Methods: This study was enrolled with 19 patients between 2012 and 2016 in a regional state hospital. All of the patients were admitted to clinic with these complaints: epistaxis, hemoptysis, coughing, foreign body sensation, and bloody stool.

Results: There were 12 male and 7 female patients. The leech was in the nose in 12 patients, in nasopharynx in 6 patients, and in the larynx in only 1 patient. All leeches are removed under local anesthesia (except laryngeal presentation). No bleeding and complication were seen after extraction of leech.

Conclusion: Leech can be easily diagnosed and managed in the upper aero-digestive tract without any complication and leech-associated disease.

Keywords: epistaxis; foreign body; leech; upper airway.