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Updated: Jun 28, 2026

The Flexible Rhino-Laryngoscope for Awake Nasotracheal Intubation

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Unusual oropharyngeal foreign body.

Sarfraz Latif¹, Naveed Aslam, Faisal Bashir

¹Department of ENT, Head and Neck Surgery, Federal Postgraduate Medical Institute and Sheikh Zayed Hospital, Lahore, Pakistan. drsarfrazlatif@hotmail.com

Journal of the College of Physicians and Surgeons--Pakistan : JCPSP

|November 6, 2008

Summary

A young man swallowed a sewing needle, which lodged in his parapharyngeal space. The foreign body was successfully removed using image intensification, with no complications.

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Area of Science:

Otolaryngology
Medical Imaging
Surgical Case Reports

Background:

Foreign body ingestion is common in pediatrics but rare in adults.
Swallowed sewing needles pose a significant risk due to their sharp nature and potential for deep tissue penetration.
The parapharyngeal space is a critical anatomical region with vital neurovascular structures, making foreign body retrieval challenging.

Observation:

A young male patient presented after swallowing a sewing needle with a bolus of food.
The sewing needle traversed the soft palate and lodged within the parapharyngeal space.
Diagnostic imaging, specifically image intensification, was crucial for localizing the foreign body.

Findings:

The sewing needle was successfully retrieved from the parapharyngeal space.
The surgical removal was performed without intraoperative or postoperative complications.
The patient experienced an uneventful recovery following the procedure.

Implications:

This case highlights the importance of considering unusual foreign body ingestions in adults.
Image intensification is an effective tool for the diagnosis and guided removal of deeply embedded foreign bodies.
Prompt and successful intervention can prevent serious morbidity associated with parapharyngeal foreign bodies.