Rajati Mohsen, Irani Shirin, Khadivi Ehsan, Bakhshaee Mehdi
Sinus and Surgical Endoscopic Research Center, Ghaem Hospital, Faculty of Medicine, Mashhad University of Medical Sciences, Mashhad, Iran.
Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Ghaem Hospital, Mashhad University of Medical Sciences, Mashhad, Iran.
Iran J Otorhinolaryngol. 2014 Jul;26(76):181-3.
Foreign bodies in the upper airway are one of the most challenging otolaryngology emergencies and have various presentations depending on their physical properties and location. Leeches are blood-sucking hermaphroditic worms that vary in color, length, and shape. They usually reside in fresh-water streams and lakes. When rural untreated water is drunk, leeches may localize in the nose, pharynx, and esophagus, or rarely in the larynx.
This case is a man who was referred to our otolaryngology clinic with a complaint of hemoptysis and mild respiratory distress. The patient's symptoms were all relieved post operatively and he was discharged on the second day following the procedure.
Leeches should be suspected as an airway foreign body in patients with a recent history of drinking stream water.
上呼吸道异物是耳鼻喉科最具挑战性的急症之一，其表现因物理性质和位置而异。水蛭是吸血的雌雄同体蠕虫，颜色、长度和形状各不相同。它们通常栖息在淡水溪流和湖泊中。饮用未经处理的农村水时，水蛭可能会寄生于鼻子、咽部和食管，或极少寄生于喉部。
该病例为一名男性，因咯血和轻度呼吸窘迫被转诊至我们的耳鼻喉科诊所。患者的症状在术后均得到缓解，并在手术后第二天出院。
近期有饮用溪水史的患者应怀疑水蛭为气道异物。
