Uploaded April 2026 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago
It is not uncommon that a patient can get a foreign body stuck in the throat after eating a bony food item like chicken or fish.
In this video a fishbone is stuck in the vallecula… the space between base of tongue and epiglottis .
If the patient is unable to cough it out or swallow it down, they often present to the ER or ENT office for removal. The back of the mouth and throat is first numbed with a spray such as cetacaine both for patient comfort as well as to help suppress the gag reflex. A small endoscope is then inserted through the nose and down into the throat to visualize the bone location. A tool called a McGill forceps is then guided into the mouth towards the bone under endoscopic guidance. The bone is grabbed and slowly pulled out through the mouth. Patients usually feel immediate relief once the bone is removed.
Watch a video on swallowing problems: youtu.be/wLp65JK4bRE
Video created by Dr. Christopher Chang:
FauquierENT.net
Still haven’t subscribed to Fauquier ENT on YouTube? ►► bit.ly/35SazwA
It is not uncommon that a patient can get a foreign body stuck in the throat after eating a bony food item like chicken or fish.
In this video a fishbone is stuck in the vallecula… the space between base of tongue and epiglottis .
If the patient is unable to cough it out or swallow it down, they often present to the ER or ENT office for removal. The back of the mouth and throat is first numbed with a spray such as cetacaine both for patient comfort as well as to help suppress the gag reflex. A small endoscope is then inserted through the nose and down into the throat to visualize the bone location. A tool called a McGill forceps is then guided into the mouth towards the bone under endoscopic guidance. The bone is grabbed and slowly pulled out through the mouth. Patients usually feel immediate relief once the bone is removed.
Watch a video on swallowing problems: youtu.be/wLp65JK4bRE
Video created by Dr. Christopher Chang:
FauquierENT.net
Still haven’t subscribed to Fauquier ENT on YouTube? ►► bit.ly/35SazwA
