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Cleft palate secondary to an ingested foreign body: a learning experience

Sohit Paul Kanotra1, Sonika Kanotra, Jitendra Paul

  • 1Department of Otolaryngology, St. Luke's Roosevelt Hospital Center, New York, New York 10019, USA.

The Journal of Emergency Medicine
|January 17, 2012
PubMed

Insights

Acquired cleft palate is rare. This case shows a coin lodged in the nasopharynx caused a soft palate cleft, emphasizing the need for nasopharyngeal imaging in foreign body cases.

Area of Science:

  • Otolaryngology
  • Pediatric Surgery
  • Congenital Anomalies

Background:

  • Cleft palate is typically a congenital anomaly.
  • Acquired cleft palate is uncommon, often resulting from trauma.

Observation:

  • A 4.5-year-old child presented with symptoms of nasal regurgitation and a nasal voice.
  • A history of coin ingestion two years prior was reported, with initial imaging showing no abnormalities.
  • Physical examination revealed a triangular cleft of the soft palate.

Findings:

  • Diagnosis of acquired cleft palate secondary to prolonged nasopharyngeal foreign body impaction (coin).
  • Surgical repair of the palatal defect was successfully performed under general anesthesia.

Implications:

  • Ingested foreign bodies can become lodged in the nasopharynx, leading to acquired cleft palate.
  • Nasopharyngeal X-ray studies are crucial for diagnosing foreign bodies in the aerodigestive tract, especially when initially missed.
Abstract

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