J Dent Anesth Pain Med.  2018 Aug;18(4):267-270. 10.17245/jdapm.2018.18.4.267.

Migrating foreign body in an adult bronchus: An aspirated denture

• Panigrahi
• Sahay N
• Samaddar D
• Chatterjee A

• KMID: 2419069
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.17245/jdapm.2018.18.4.267

Abstract

As a safety measure, dentures are routinely removed before surgery. Aspiration of a denture could be catastrophic, with medicolegal implications. Foreign body aspiration is uncommon in adults; however, aspirations may remain asymptomatic and undiagnosed for long periods of time. We report an adult male who presented with a cough for more than 6 months. On radiography, a foreign body was found migrating within the tracheobronchial tree from one mainstem bronchus to the other, at different time points. The foreign body was later found to be a portion of his denture. The aspiration may have occurred at the time of a surgical procedure.

Keyword

Airway management; Bronchoscopy; Dentures

MeSH Terms

Adult*
Airway Management
Aspirations (Psychology)
Bronchi*
Bronchoscopy
Cough
Dentures*
Foreign Bodies*
Humans
Male
Radiography
Trees

Figure

• 

  Fig. 1 Chest radiograph posteroanterior view shows a foreign body in the left main bronchus.

• 

  Fig. 2 Chest radiograph posteroanterior view shows the foreign body to have migrated from the left main bronchus to the right main bronchus.

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  Fig. 3 The denture measured after extraction was found to be about 3 cm wide.

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