"Nail" that foreign body aspiration diagnosis before thoracotomy

William F. Kelly*, Andrew F. Shorr, Charles Mulligan, Glen M. Arluk

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

Abstract

A 77-year-old man with dementia presented after aspirating a nail while trying to install ceiling lights. Chest radiograph and computed tomography scan confirmed the foreign body in the posterobasilar subsegment of the left lower lobe. Before any surgery, flexible bronchoscopic removal was attempted. Fluoroscopy appeared to show the nail now in the contralateral lower chest, but removal was still unsuccessful. Ultimately, the nail was seen and removed from the duodenum endoscopically. Presumably, it was expectorated and swallowed before the procedure. Foreign body location should be reconfirmed with fluoroscopy or other imaging immediately before intervention to avoid unnecessary surgery or other procedures.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)214-216
Number of pages3
JournalJournal of Bronchology
Volume12
Issue number4
DOIs
StatePublished - Oct 2005
Externally publishedYes

Keywords

  • Aspiration
  • Bronchoscopy
  • Foreign body
  • Nail

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