Magnetic foreign body on the nasal septum

A 9-year-old boy presented to our department 8 days after attempting to insert a non-piercing magnetic ear stud on either side of his nose. He had been unable to remove them, and both magnetic parts of the ear studs were still present in his nose. Examination of the nose was difficult, as he was unco-operative and his nose was filled with mucus and crusts. X-rays of the nose revealed the two ear studs on either side of the nasal septum (Fig. 1). The magnets had caused compression and thinning of the septal cartilage. Examination under general anaesthesia revealed the two magnets embedded into the mucosa across the septum. The magnets were removed under general anaesthesia by clamping and sliding them in opposite directions. The exposed compressed cartilage was gradually covered by granulation tissue and eventually nasal mucosa.