Long-term retainment of a foreign body in the esophagus in an adult: a case report

Abstract

Ingestion of a foreign body (FB) is a common emergency encountered in otorhinolaryngology. In most cases, FBs pass through the digestive tract spontaneously without any serious consequences, but some of them require nonsurgical interventions, and more severe cases require surgical interventions. The types of FBs ingested may differ in different countries and regions. In adults, bones, fish bones, and dental prostheses are most commonly found in the esophagus, and most of the FBs are retained in the esophagus less than 1 month. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first report of an unusual FB (a beer bottle cap) that was stuck in the upper esophagus for longer than 4 months. The main complaints of the patient were a sore throat and FB sensation, and an FB was diagnosed by a chest radiograph and computed tomography of the esophagus. He then had rigid endoscopic removal of the FB performed under anesthesia with propofol sedation. During a 3-month follow-up, the patient was asymptomatic and no esophageal stricture was observed. Impaction of FBs in the gastrointestinal tract can lead to severe adverse events. Therefore, early detection and timely management of FBs are important.