Abstract
IntroductionWe report an extremely rare case of a migratory fish bone penetrating through the thyroid gland.Case presentationA 56-year-old Japanese woman presented with a two-month history of a painless cutaneous fistula in her anterior neck with pus discharge. Endoscopic examinations showed no abnormality, but computed tomography revealed a bone-density needle-shaped foreign body sticking out anteroinferior from the esophagus wall, penetrating through her left thyroid lobe and extending nearly to the anterior cervical skin. A migratory fish bone was suspected, and the foreign body was removed under general anesthetic, combined with a hemithyroidectomy. The injured esophageal mucosa was sutured and closed. Our patient’s postoperative course was uneventful, and she was allowed oral food intake seven days after the surgery. No evidence of recurrence was seen over the postoperative follow-up period of 42 weeks.ConclusionWe should be aware that fish bone foreign bodies may migrate out of the upper digestive tract and lodge in the thyroid gland.
Highlights
We report an extremely rare case of a migratory fish bone penetrating through the thyroid gland.Case presentation: A 56-year-old Japanese woman presented with a two-month history of a painless cutaneous fistula in her anterior neck with pus discharge
We should be aware that fish bone foreign bodies may migrate out of the upper digestive tract and lodge in the thyroid gland
We present an extremely rare case of a migratory fish bone penetrating through the thyroid gland with a cutaneous fistula in the anterior neck one year after swallowing the foreign body
Summary
Fish bones are one of the commonest foreign bodies occurring in the pharynx or cervical esophagus. We present an extremely rare case of a migratory fish bone penetrating through the thyroid gland with a cutaneous fistula in the anterior neck one year after swallowing the foreign body. Case presentation A 56-year-old Japanese woman had visited a local clinic, complaining of a two-month history of a painless cutaneous fistula in her anterior neck with pus discharge. Computed tomography (CT) revealed a bone-density needle-shaped foreign body sticking out anteroinferior from the esophageal wall, penetrating through the superior pole of her left thyroid lobe, and extending nearly to the anterior cervical skin (Figure 1). No esophageal leakage was observed during an esophagography, and she was allowed oral food intake seven days after the surgery She was discharged nine days after surgery, and no evidence of recurrence was seen over the postoperative follow-up period of 42 weeks
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Free) 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a call
