Migration of Fish Bone Following Penetration of the Submandibular Gland Presenting as a Neck Mass

Abstract

An ingested fish bone presenting as an unresolving inflamed neck mass is rare. The purpose of this article was to describe the clinical and microscopic features of a foreign-body granuloma in submandibular region that resulted from a fish bone embedded in the floor of mouth. A 45-year-old male patient complained of a hard mass in submandibular region. Computer tomography allowed that localize of the lesion and the fish bone penetrating a submandibular gland. We successfully operated on the patient to excise the mass. A microscopic examination showed a anewly-formed granuloma, composed of lympocytes and epithelioid cells, and some microabscess with neurophiles. The final diagnosis was a foreign-body granuloma with a fish bone. Even though foreign-body granulomas in submandibular region are rare lesions, surgeons should be familiar with their features and include them in the differential diagnosis of tissue masses.