title: The utility of repeated computed tomography to track a foreign body penetrating the esophagus to the level of the thyroid gland.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Foreign body (FB) ingestion is a common problem in otolaryngology. One uncommon complication of FB ingestion is penetration to the level of the thyroid gland. To our knowledge, only 21 such cases have been reported in the literature. Here, we report a case of an esophageal FB penetrating to the level of the right thyroid gland.
  
  
  METHODS
  The patient was a 38-year-old woman in whom an esophageal FB penetrated to the level of the right thyroid gland. We traced the path to the thyroid gland using repeated computed tomography (CT) scans and demonstrated the importance of multiplanar reconstruction in locating the FB and formulating a precise surgical plan.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  To our knowledge, this is the first report of repeat CT scans being used to demonstrate the migratory route, over time, of a FB penetrating through the esophagus to the level of the thyroid gland. Our results suggest that multiplanar reconstruction may play a key role in the precise diagnosis of a FB at the level of the thyroid gland and may help surgeons choose the best approach for removal.
authors.affiliation: Department of Otolaryngology, The First Affiliated Hospital, College of Medicine, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, 310003 China.
authors.forename: Hai-Hong
authors.initials: HH
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.affiliation: Department of Radiology, The First Affiliated Hospital, College of Medicine, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, 310003 China.
authors.forename: Ling-Xiang
authors.initials: LX
authors.lastname: Ruan
authors.affiliation: Department of Otolaryngology, The First Affiliated Hospital, College of Medicine, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, 310003 China.
authors.forename: Shui-Hong
authors.initials: SH
authors.lastname: Zhou
authors.affiliation: Department of Otolaryngology, The First Affiliated Hospital, College of Medicine, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, 310003 China.
authors.forename: Shen-Qing
authors.initials: SQ
authors.lastname: Wang
keywords: Computed tomography; Foreign body; Migration; Surgery; Thyroid gland