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Updated: Jun 16, 2026
04:55
Handheld Metal Detector Screening for Metallic Foreign Body Ingestion in Children
Published on: September 11, 2018
[Foreign body in the pharynx incidentally found]
K Doumbia-Singare1, S Timbo, M Keita
1Service d’ORL et de chirurgie cervico-faciale du CHU Gabriel Touré BP 267 Bamako, Mali.
Le Mali Medical
|January 23, 2010
Summary
Oropharyngeal foreign bodies are typically diagnosed easily. This case highlights a rare instance of a foreign body remaining undetected for two months post-trauma before successful extraction.
Area of Science:
- Otolaryngology
- Medical Case Reports
Background:
- Foreign bodies in the oropharynx are generally diagnosed and treated without significant difficulty.
- Diagnosis is typically straightforward in adult patients presenting with symptoms.
Observation:
- A psychologically stable patient presented with an oropharyngeal foreign body.
- The foreign body was discovered two months after an initial trauma.
- The patient was unaware of the foreign body's presence for the entire two-month period.
Findings:
- The foreign body was successfully extracted via an endo-oral approach under general anesthesia.
- The prolonged, asymptomatic presence of the foreign body is noteworthy.
- The fortuitous discovery and duration of the foreign body are of clinical interest.
Implications:
- This case underscores the possibility of prolonged, asymptomatic foreign body retention in the oropharynx.
- It highlights the importance of considering less common presentations in diagnosing oropharyngeal foreign bodies.
- The case provides valuable insight into the management of delayed-diagnosis foreign body incidents.
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