[Lateral pharyngotomy--a rare method of access for removing foreign bodies from the upper third of the esophagus]

Esophageal foreign body impaction is a serious emergency. Diagnostic workup includes an exact history and physical examination as well as several imaging modalities. The extraction of an esophageal foreign body can be done using nonflexible or flexible esophagoscopy. We report on a 43-year-old patient with typical symptoms of esophageal foreign body impaction. The x-ray overview upon admission showed the adjustment wires of one component of a metal denture in the area of the upper esophagus. Extraction by nonflexible esophagoscopy was rendered impossible because parts of the denture had speared themselves into the esophageal wall. Safe and uncomplicated removal was then performed through a lateral pharyngotomy.