Monday, September 24, 2007

VizD Radiograph Challenge Week of 9/24/2007

A 5-year-old boy is brought to your ED by his parents who state that the boy boy either swallowed or inhaled a coin. The boy is stable and you get a radiograph.



What is the most likely location of the coin?


(click on image to enlarge)













Winner receives $5
To submit your answer please click on comments below.
For more information about the contest, click here.


VizD
is a weekly contest of an interesting or pathognomonic image from emergency medicine. Its goal is to integrate learning into a fun and relaxed environment. All images are original and are posted with the consent of the patient. For more information please refer to the following link.

4 comments:

brad said...

the coin (like most swallowed coins) is in the esophagus. The trachea's cartilaginous rings are open a bit in the back, thus coins lodged in the trachea are often sagittal.

Unknown said...

the coin is in the esophagus...lucky kid!

Anonymous said...

A coin in the esophagus is usually oriented in the coronal plane. A coin in the trachea is usually oriented in the saggital plane because of the lie of the tracheal rings.

sairah said...

Can you clarify that please. Sagittal meaning on a lateral X ray they will appear as a full circle?