Asymptomatic foreign body spontaneously discharged from Wharton s duct: a case report

Abstract

Some situations can lead to obstruction of Wharton’s duct. Obstructions are usually due to endogenous causes, such as calculi, fibromucinous plugs, stenosis, and malformations of the duct system; however, in rare situations, obstructions can also have exogenous causes, such as foreign bodies. The tortuous anatomy of Wharton’s duct hinders the retrograde migration of straight-shaped foreign bodies, as well as makes their spontaneous discharge virtually impossible. Here, we report the case of a 47-year-old woman with an asymptomatic foreign body in Wharton’s duct that was spontaneously discharged.