Patient N.V.P (37 years old, HCMC) while having lunch accidentally swallowed a mackerel bone that was deeply embedded in his tonsils, causing discomfort and swelling in his tonsils, so he thought he had a fish bone stuck in his throat and went to the hospital.
Doctor Nguyen Tri Minh Tri - ENT Department, Tam Anh General Hospital - said that the patient's throat endoscopy showed a piece of fish bone embedded deep into the swollen right tonsil. Patient P had tonsillitis, so the enlarged tonsils increased the possibility of the fish bone being embedded in the tonsil.
Dr. Tri skillfully used forceps to remove a 3cm long fish bone from his tonsils through an endoscope. Mr. P. was also treated for enlarged tonsils medically. Immediately after the procedure, the patient no longer had painful swallowing or a sore throat and was able to go home immediately.
Doctor Tri said that the patient came to the clinic in time so the tonsils and throat were not significantly infected and had no complications. If the patient did not go to the medical facility early, the fish bone could cause pus, ulcers, at the site of the injury or cause an abscess in the neck area.
Fish bones embedded in the tonsils, lateral or posterior pharyngeal wall, base of tongue, lingual sulcus, etc., can be easily removed by endoscopy. If the fish bone is located deep in the hypopharynx, piriform sinus, esophageal orifice, etc., or if the fish bone has entered the esophagus, the foreign body must be removed by endoscopy, with or without anesthesia.
If foreign bodies in the digestive tract are treated late, they can form abscesses in the lateral walls of the throat and the spaces next to the neck, causing serious complications such as mediastinal abscesses. If foreign objects fall into the stomach or intestines, they can puncture the intestines, causing inflammation and liver and peritoneal abscesses.
Doctor Tri said that in the past month, Tam Anh General Hospital and Tam Anh General Clinic District 7 received about 60 cases of foreign body aspiration in both children and adults. Most cases came to the clinic immediately for timely treatment by doctors. Foreign bodies in the digestive tract are mainly animal bones such as fish bones, chicken bones, removable dentures; small seeds such as longan seeds, lychee seeds, custard apple seeds. These can fall directly into the esophagus or become foreign bodies in the respiratory tract. In children, foreign bodies are also small toys such as lego, coins, magnets, buttons, etc.
