The use of toluidine blue gargles to aid the detection of impacted pharyngeal fish bones

Abstract

AbstractFishbone impaction is a common clinical problem. In most cases careful examination pinpoints the impacted bone which can then be removed. If no bone is detected a distinction must be drawn between mucosal abrasion mimicking fishbone impaction and a fine or deeply impaled fishbone eluding detection. We present a new method that may be helpful in the detection of pharyngeal fishbones.