Fish bone migration presenting as a neck lump.

Irfan MOHAMAD, Syarifah Najihah TUAN HABIB.

Department of Otorhinolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, School of Medical Sciences, Universiti Sains Malaysia, Kelantan, Malaysia.

ABSTRACT

Fish bones are one of the most common foreign bodies encountered in the throat. Migration of ingested fish bones can occur if they are not removed. The final destinations of the migration vary. Some remain embedded in the soft tissues causing discomfort and some impose additional complications such as abscess formation. If the fish bone migrates externally without any obstacles from the neck structures, the possibility of reaching the skin is present. We report a case of an ingested fish bone which presented with neck lump after 21 days of ingestion in a 47-year-old Malay lady. Imaging confirmed the fish bone nearly reached the skin, embedded on the outer side of the left sternocleidomastoid muscle.

Keywords: Complications, foreign bodies, foreign body migration, ingestion

Correspondence: Irfan MOHAMAD, Department of Otorhinolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, School of Medical Sciences, Universiti Sains Malaysia, 16150 Kota Bharu, Kelantan, Malaysia.

Tel: 609-7676420, Fax: 609-7676424, E mail: irfan@kb.usm.my

Brunei Int Med J. 2011; 7 (1): 41-44