Unusual Intraspinal Migration of Ingested Foreign Body.

Abstract

Accidental foreign body ingestion is a common occurrence; however, extraluminal migration is uncommon. We report for the first time in the literature an unusual migration of an ingested foreign body into the spinal canal through the vertebral body and discuss its possible route of migration. A 38-year-old man presented with throat pain after eating chicken fried rice. Esophagoscopy was normal. A cervical spine radiograph and computed tomography scan showed the presence of a thin, radiopaque foreign body coursing through the C5 vertebral body and entering the spinal canal. We explored the neck and removed a 3-cm-long copper wire (foreign body). Type, size, and shape of the foreign body determine the course of foreign body migration. A possible route of foreign body migration into the spinal canal is the Hahn canal and basivertebral foramina.