Introduction:

the pharynx is the most common site of lodging of foreign bodies within the otorhinolaryngological area. Diagnosis and removal are usually easy. Fortunately, however, a few become deeply ingrown and cause neck infections, or more rarely, manage to migrate and lie just under the skin.

Case presentation:

we present the case of a 27-year-old male patient who was treated during our mission in Namibia in 2018, who swallowed a fish bone, which initially lodged in the retropharyngeal space and then migrated to the cellular tissue. subcutaneous neck.

Discussion:

the mechanism by which a foreign body migrates may be due to the combination of peristalsis of the esophagus and movements of the neck or other factors such as the linear and sharp configuration of the foreign body, the forced swallowing of food with a hard consistency immediately after impaction of the foreign body and late attendance of the patient to health services.

Conclusions:

the migration of an ingested foreign body is a rare form of evolution. Its treatment fundamentally depends on potential complications that could put the patient's life at risk.

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