An unusual foreign body as cause of chronic sinusitis: a case report

Abstract

IntroductionThe presence of a foreign body in the nose is a relatively uncommon occurrence. Many unusual foreign bodies in the nose have been reported in the literature, but no case of a nasal packing occurring as a foreign body in the nasal cavity for a prolonged time has been found.Case presentationWe describe a unique case of the largest foreign body left in situ in the nasal cavity for over 10 years. Our patient was a 71-year-old Caucasian man with diabetes. Because of this, he was at high risk of developing complications from the foreign body and the chronic sinusitis. Amazingly, though, the foreign body had not caused any symptoms on our patient for many years, except for nasal discharge during the last few years. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first case in the literature of such a large intra-nasal foreign body described in an adult without mental illness and without trauma that remained in situ for such a long time.ConclusionUndoubtedly, even illnesses with no complications could prove difficult for clinicians to diagnose. Clinicians should recognize the underlying causes that are responsible for the symptoms of chronic sinusitis and a unilateral nasal discharge should be assumed to be caused by an intra-nasal foreign body until proven otherwise.

Rare Case of Long Standing Foreign Body in Maxillary Sinus

“…11 Sinus malignancy through chronic stimulation of carcinogen from foreign bodies has also been reported. [11][12][13][14][15] Uniqueness of the present case is in the fact that past history of facial trauma by a stone 30 years back was present which patient had also forgotten and patient presented with a history of only 15 days. History, examination and radiological findings suggested that the case may be of carcinoma maxilla.…”

A Forgotten Nasogastric Tube

“…Although, it had not caused any adverse effects in this patient, FB in the nose may cause nasal obstruction, rhinosinusitis, tissue necrosis and epistaxis. [4][5][6] These complications may occur when the FB causes swelling of the nasal mucosa. There are many documented risks of using NGT.…”

Avulsed Nasoenteric Bridle System Magnet as an Intranasal Foreign Body

“…The nose is among the most common sites for aerodigestive foreign bodies 7 , 8 . Cases are heavily skewed toward pediatric patients, while incidents among adults are generally caused by trauma, associated with mental disorders, or iatrogenically introduced 3 , 9 . Common symptoms of acute nasal foreign bodies include pain, airway obstruction, and epistaxis 3 .…”