Unusual presentation of an esophageal foreign body granuloma caused by a fish bone: Usefulness of multidetector computed tomography

A 68-year-old woman had throat pain while eating fish. The pain gradually disappeared with no treatment. She visited her doctor for a medical checkup 1 year later, and an esophageal tumor was suspected. A double-contrast esophagogram revealed luminal stenosis with a mass-like defect in the middle esophagus. Esophagogastroduodenoscopy (EGD) showed smooth-surface stenosis with a retracted fold. Endoscopic ultrasonography (EUS) showed a hypoechoic mass in the submucosal layer and a well-defined linear hyperechoic structure forming a posterior acoustic shadow within the mass. A computed tomography (CT) examination was then performed using an Aquilion 64-detector row CT scanner, and a high attenuation linear structure was found in the lesion that was visualized as a fish bone-like structure on reconstructed CT images. Endoscopic removal of the fish bone was impossible, and a surgical operation would have been too invasive for a lesion suspected of being benign. The patient had no complaint related to the esophageal lesion itself and no sign of gastrointestinal tract complications. Accordingly, regular follow-up was recommended for the esophageal lesion. Follow-up examination including EGD, esophagography, and CT performed 1 year later showed that the lesion had decreased in size with no fish bone-like structure.