Chest radiograph unknown 6

Anshuman Bansal

JHU SOM

abansal1@jhmi.edu

David Marker

JHU SOM

dmarker@jhmi.edu

Publication Date: 2009-09-04

Findings

This patient came to the ED with his parents; he was not in any acute distress. The mother was missing a ring.

1. Can you tell where the foreign body in this radiograph is?

   a	Anterior to the patient Incorrect. Check all available views!
   b	Posterior to the patient Incorrect. Check all available views!
   c	In the trachea Incorrect! Good guess, but the trachea is patent and is visible in the lateral view as an air filled tube. This object is posterior to the trachea. Also, if there was a foreign body in the trachea, the patient would likely have trouble breathing.
   d	In the esophagus Correct! The patient has swallowed a ring and it has lodged in their esophagus. This is a good example of why you need multiple views to tell exactly where in space an object is.