A persistent cough related to aspiration of a nonradiopaque bone.
Aspiration of a foreign body by an adult often is not diagnosed until a month or more after the event, because of a lack of presenting symptoms indicative of an aspiration and low reliability, sensitivity, and specificity of plain film radiographs. Instead, the foreign body aspiration typically is diagnosed during the evaluation of other lung-related pathology.
Roland Paquette practices emergency medicine at the University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio, Tex. The author has disclosed no potential conflicts of interest, financial or otherwise.
Roland
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Paquette
D001980:Bronchi; D001999:Bronchoscopy / Q000379:methods; D002908:Chronic Disease; D003371:Cough / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000209:etiology* / Q000628:therapy*; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D005547:Foreign Bodies / Q000150:complications / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000628:therapy; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D018570:Risk Assessment; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed / Q000379:methods; D016896:Treatment Outcome