Esophageal fish bone migration induced thyroid abscess: case report and review of the literature

A thyroid abscess is a rare condition, and it is so infrequently encountered. A migrated fish bone is a rare otolaryngologic emergency indicated when the foreign body penetrates through the esophageal mucosa into the thyroid gland space of the neck after several weeks of swallowing. We present the case of a 50-year-old woman who had fever and anterior neck painful mass. An intrathyroid abscess was diagnosed; and she underwent thyrotomy with transcervical approach. A foreign body, which proved to be a fish bone and which fortunately did not cause any adverse effects, was removed.