A 40-year-old male with a 20-year history of schizophrenia presented to the emergency department with long history of pharyngeal foreign body sensation which had progressed over one month to include sore throat, odynophagia, and dyspnea. Physical exam revealed asymmetric prominence of the right posterior oropharyngeal wall and trismus with maximal interincisural distance of two centimeters. There were tenderness, edema, and erythema of the right submandibular triangle without palpable mass.\nFlexible laryngoscopy showed fullness of the right posterior pharyngeal wall without mucosal abnormality, resulting in anterior displacement of the right aryepiglottic fold. This was encroaching on the airway but not causing critical airway stenosis. A computed tomography (CT) scan of the neck with contrast was obtained. This demonstrated a linear opacity extending from the oropharynx to the right thyroid ala. Reconstructed 3D images showed a uniform mass consistent with a foreign body (). Further psychiatric history was obtained and revealed a history of auditory hallucinations that had on several occasions led to suicide attempts, including one attempt two years ago in which the patient stabbed himself in the pharynx with a broken toothbrush handle. Prompt removal was recommended given risk for infection and airway compromise.\nThe patient was transorally intubated over a flexible bronchoscope and then underwent direct laryngoscopy. Swelling of the right posterior oropharynx and hypopharynx was noted (). An anterolateral neck incision was made and subplatysmal flaps were raised. The mass was easily palpated overlying the right thyroid ala, and blunt dissection allowed entry into the fibrous capsule surrounding the foreign body (). The capsule was opened, and the foreign body was removed. The length corresponded exactly to the length of the foreign body on the CT (). A sample was obtained for bacterial culture, the wound was irrigated, and a drain was placed. The patient was extubated and given a soft diet.\nVisual inspection and pathologic analysis confirmed that the foreign body was indeed a toothbrush handle. Cultures from the area grew heavy mixed bacteria including anaerobes. After an uneventful postoperative stay, the patient was discharged without complications. Discharge planning included psychiatry follow-up.
A 2-year-old female patient with history of sewing needle ingestion about three months back followed by mild intermittent abdominal pain. The child was followed in another hospital for but the foreign body was not expelled spontaneously. A plain abdominal X-ray on arrival showed a radiopaque foreign body (sewing needle) in the lower abdominal quadrant on the midline (). The foreign body was palpable by rectal examination; however, it could not be observed by proctoscopy performed under general anesthesia. Thus, considering that the foreign body might have migrated outside of the lumen, a mini-laparotomy procedure was performed. The sewing needle was observed in the sigmoid mesocolon and removed by opening a small window into the mesocolon (). Child had a recovery and no problems were observed during the 3-month follow-up of the patient.