Vol.102 No.9 contentsPRACTICA OTO-RHINO-LARYNGOLOGICA
Vol. 102 No. 9 September 2009
A Case of Retropharyngeal Abscess Caused by a Fish Bone with a Tubal Structure
Kazuhiko Yamamura, Ichiro Morita, Tomohiro Kai and Michiya Satoh
(Japan Self-Defense Forces Central Hospital)
The presence of a fish bone in the aerodigestive tract is a common phenomenon in the ENT Department. It is removed easily by an endoscopic procedure, but sometimes can cause complications such as deep neck infection.
Herein, we report the case of a fish bone with a tubal structure stuck in the pyriform sinus. A 71-year-old woman presented with complaints of progressive odynophagia and dysphagia following dinner 1 day earlier. An axial computed tomographic scan of the neck showed a 3-cm-long and linear hyperdense projection pointing to the pyriform sinus and submucosal emphysema. Rigid laryngoscopy with the patient under general anesthesia, which was performed on the day of presentation, showed a fish bone with a tubal structure in the pyriform sinus but no pus-like material. It was removed, but a retropharyngeal abscess was soon formed. The patient recovered fully soon after subsequent surgical drainage through the cervical incision.
Key words :fish bone, tubal structure, deep neck infection, submucosal emphysema