Removal of longstanding laryngopharyngeal foreign bodies from three children

Impaction of a foreign body in the laryngopharynx is a rare but serious event, due to the potential for complete laryngeal obstruction and associated high mortality. Children with positive aspiration histories and typical symptoms are generally admitted to an ear, nose and throat department, where the foreign body can be promptly extracted. However, those children with atypical symptoms and/or with no history of foreign body aspiration noted by their caregivers are often misdiagnosed, and treatment is therefore delayed, leading to the development of complications. The presence of longstanding foreign bodies may cause tissue hypertrophy and the development of granulation tissue, making diagnosis and treatment more difficult. There have been few reports of longstanding laryngopharyngeal foreign bodies in the literature. In this report, we present our experience in dealing with longstanding laryngopharyngeal foreign bodies in three children.