Migrated pharyngeal fish bone causing spondylodiscitis. Case report

Ingestion of foreign bodies is a common problem seen at emergency rooms and frequently involves chicken and fish bones. There are few cases of migrated foreign bodies through the retropharynx causing infectious process in the area but no one, despite the proximity, causing spondylodiscitis. Perhaps such condition is attributed to the integrity of the longus colli fascia covering and protecting the cervical spine. We described the first case of spondylodiscitis due to a foreign body (saw-toothed fish bone) that penetrated the longus colli fascia and carved into vertebral body C3.

异物吞入是急诊室的常见病症，致病异物多为鸡鸭鱼骨。目前已有少数经咽后间隙移位的异物引发局部感染的病例报道，但尽管解剖位置邻近，尚未见此类异物引发脊椎椎间盘炎（spondylodiscitis）的案例。此类情况或可归因于覆盖并保护颈椎的颈长肌筋膜的完整性。本文报道首例由异物（锯齿状鱼骨）穿透颈长肌筋膜并侵入C3椎体所致的脊椎椎间盘炎病例。