An Unusual Neck Mass: Ingested Chicken Bone

Abstract

Background: Foreign bodies in the upper aerodigestivetract are frequently seen in otolaryngological practice, butmigration of an ingested foreign body to the neck is a veryrare condition.Case Report: We present a 66-year-old woman admitted toour outpatient department with a painful neck mass. She hada history of emergency department admission 4 months prior with odynophagia after eating chicken meal. A physicalexamination revealed a painful and hyperemic mass on theleft neck. Antibiotherapy did not relieve the patient's symptoms and signs. A 3-cm linear foreign body was observed inX-ray and computed tomography scans. The symptoms ofthe patient were relieved after excision of the foreign body.Conclusion:Although it is a rare situation, migration of aforeign body ingested through the aerodigestive tract to theneck should be kept in mind in the differential diagnosis ofpatients who present with neck masses.