An unusual cause of long-standing foreign body sensation in throat

Abstract

Foreign body (FB) sensation in the throat is often a common symptom encountered in clinical practice. FB sensation in throat has numerous causes. Long-standing FB in the soft tissue of the neck is sometimes asymptomatic and presents only with throat irritation or FB sensation, although it is an extremely rare incidence. The diagnosis of this clinical event is based on the clinical presentations and imaging. The treatment is done by securing the airway, removal of FB, and antibiotic coverage. Here, we report the case of a 16-year-old boy presenting with chicken bone embedded in the soft tissue of the posterior pharyngeal wall and retropharyngeal space for 2 months in the throat without any major symptoms except FB sensation. Imaging confirmed the diagnosis of chicken bone in the retropharyngeal space with mild abscess formation, which was removed by transoral approach.