A Metal Ring that had Been Lodged in a Child's Nasopharynx for 4 Years

Abstract

A considerable number of articles on foreign-body ingestion and inhalation have been reported in the literature. Of these, nasopharyngeal foreign bodies are rare. Unless they cause total obstruction, symptoms typically appear late. Foreign bodies, especially metal ones, can lodge in soft tissue, and their removal can be rather complicated. In this article, we describe the case of a 4-year-old girl who had had a gold ring lodged in her nasopharynx. The history led us to determine that the ring had been there since the child was 3 months old. A flexible fiberoptic nasopharyngeal examination revealed that the ring was embedded in the nasal surface of the soft palate and was enclosed by a thin layer of mucosal membrane. With the patient under general anesthesia, we were able to remove the foreign body with a 0° endoscope.