Management of Upper Airway Leech Infestations.

PURPOSE

Upper airway foreign body is one of the most encountered clinical situations in otolaryngology practice. In rare conditions, a living organism may be a foreign body in the upper airway. In this study, we demonstrate 19 patients with leech infestations in nose, nasopharynx, and larynx.

METHODS

This study was enrolled with 19 patients between 2012 and 2016 in a regional state hospital. All of the patients were admitted to clinic with these complaints: epistaxis, hemoptysis, coughing, foreign body sensation, and bloody stool.

RESULTS

There were 12 male and 7 female patients. The leech was in the nose in 12 patients, in nasopharynx in 6 patients, and in the larynx in only 1 patient. All leeches are removed under local anesthesia (except laryngeal presentation). No bleeding and complication were seen after extraction of leech.

CONCLUSION

Leech can be easily diagnosed and managed in the upper aero-digestive tract without any complication and leech-associated disease.