Introduction:

Accidental ingestion of foreign bodies such as fish bones is very rare; sometimes they may lodge in the esophagus, and extraluminal migration is possible. This accident occurs mainly in Asian countries due to the large fish consumption. Extraluminal migration of a fish bone from the esophagus to the thyroid gland is even more infrequent, with few reports in the literature.

Objective:

To present our experience in the diagnosis and surgical management of a patient with a foreign body (fish bone) lodged in the thyroid gland and to review the scientific literature.

Clinical Case:

A 53-year-old patient is presented, without a significant history and with a clinical picture of three months of evolution consisting of odynophagia after accidental ingestion of a fish bone. In the ultrasound performed at another institution, a foreign body was observed lodged in the left thyroid lobe in relation to the musculature of the esophagus. Head and neck tomography showed a linear 2.6 cm long hyperdense image at the same location. On surgical exploration, fibrotic tissue was found in the posterior region of the left thyroid lobe and a left subtotal thyroidectomy was performed. Postoperative evolution was adequate.

Conclusions:

Extraluminal migration of foreign bodies in the digestive tract is feasible, especially that of fish bones due to their morphology. Tomography is the most reliable diagnostic tool to detect foreign bodies lodged in the thyroid gland. It is necessary to know the possible complications and to optimize the possible interventions, since the clinical prognosis of the patient depends on it.

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