Life Threatening Transverse-Lying Vegetable Foreign Body in the Larynx; A Case Report

Foreign body (FB) in throat is one of the common presentations in emergency departments (ED). The foreign body may be stuck in the neck region through ingestion or due to iatrogenic injury. FB ingestion is rare in adults but still occurs. The ED treatment plan for patients suspected to have ingested a foreign body depends on the type and location of the FB, as well as the patient’s condition. In adults, the most common FBs ingested are chicken bone and fishbone. The ingested FB often gets lodged in the oropharynx and cricopharyngeal muscle regions. 

We report a 15-year-old female patient who presented with a foreign body in the throat. Lateral neck radiograph (LNR) revealed a radio-dense vegetable foreign body in the supraglottic region, lying transversely above the vocal cord. This is an unusual clinical and radiological presentation. A 4-cm long piece of beetroot was removed successfully via direct laryngoscopy under safe procedural sedation. Post-procedure, the patient recovered well, discharged within a few hours. 

Even though foreign body in throat is a common presentation, we report this case due to its anatomical position, type, size, and the unusual radiological appearance of the FB.