A Rare Case Report: Oropharyngeal Foreign Body in an Alzheimer Patient

Abstract

oreign bodies in the upper airways and pharynx are one of the most challenging otolaryngology emergencies. Foreign body aspiration is usually a serious condition that is most common among the pediatric age group, and rare in adults. 1,2 The etiology of foreign body aspiration is often peanuts, which may be radiopaque on X-ray. 3 Fish bone is the most common foreign body (FB) encountered in the pharynx. 4-7 Most Pharyngeal foreign bodies (PFBs) are removed in the outpatient department. Only a few patient may have lack of cooperation and need extracting FBs in the hospital under general anesthesia. In clinical practice, many PFBs in patients are dislodged spontaneously before presentation. However, many reports have been associated with complications of PFBs, such as infections of the pharyngeal wall, retropharyngeal abscess, migration of FB, and even death. 8-11 The majority of patients present with acute symptoms, like cough, dyspnea and hemoptysis, while others present with chronic symptoms. 2-12 Most patients have an underlying disease, such as mental retardation, abnormal swallowing reflex, or neurological problems. 13 In some adult patients, especially when Alzheimer disease is present, aspiration may be tolerated for a long time. Diagnosis must be established by means of symptoms, radiography, oropharyngeal examination and nasopharyngoscopy. Treatment is removal of the foreign body from the airway tract. 2 Oropharyngeal wet wipes are very rare causes of pharyngeal foreign bodies around the world.