The path of least resistance: The unusual extradigestive journey of a nasogastric tube following oropharyngeal perforation

Nasogastric tube placement is frequently performed in various medical settings. While generally deemed safe in patients without risk factors, complications may occur due to malposition, justifying the need of systematic confirmation of position with chest radiographs. We present the case of a critic...

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Main Authors: Anass Benomar, MD, MSc, FRCPC, Rui-Ning Gong, MD, An Ni Wu, MD, Michele Khayat, MD, Hamza Laref, DMD, MD, Marc-Jacques Dubois, MD, FRCPC, Pierre Bourgouin, MD, FRCPC, Patrick P. Bourgouin, MD, FRCPC
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Elsevier 2025-02-01
Series:Radiology Case Reports
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Online Access:http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1930043324012585
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author Anass Benomar, MD, MSc, FRCPC
Rui-Ning Gong, MD
An Ni Wu, MD
Michele Khayat, MD
Hamza Laref, DMD, MD
Marc-Jacques Dubois, MD, FRCPC
Pierre Bourgouin, MD, FRCPC
Patrick P. Bourgouin, MD, FRCPC
author_facet Anass Benomar, MD, MSc, FRCPC
Rui-Ning Gong, MD
An Ni Wu, MD
Michele Khayat, MD
Hamza Laref, DMD, MD
Marc-Jacques Dubois, MD, FRCPC
Pierre Bourgouin, MD, FRCPC
Patrick P. Bourgouin, MD, FRCPC
author_sort Anass Benomar, MD, MSc, FRCPC
collection DOAJ
description Nasogastric tube placement is frequently performed in various medical settings. While generally deemed safe in patients without risk factors, complications may occur due to malposition, justifying the need of systematic confirmation of position with chest radiographs. We present the case of a critically ill male adult patient for whom the tube position was initially deemed very unusual on postinsertion radiographs, prompting further workup which ultimately confirmed an oropharyngeal perforation with a left parapharyngeal, left visceral, retrotracheal, and right retrodiaphragmatic course, and resulting in a recurrent pneumothorax and empyema treated by surgical decortication.
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institution Kabale University
issn 1930-0433
language English
publishDate 2025-02-01
publisher Elsevier
record_format Article
series Radiology Case Reports
spelling doaj-art-37eab5b24a7b4f3b85cd3a61501a5ef82024-12-18T08:47:50ZengElsevierRadiology Case Reports1930-04332025-02-0120210181022The path of least resistance: The unusual extradigestive journey of a nasogastric tube following oropharyngeal perforationAnass Benomar, MD, MSc, FRCPC0Rui-Ning Gong, MD1An Ni Wu, MD2Michele Khayat, MD3Hamza Laref, DMD, MD4Marc-Jacques Dubois, MD, FRCPC5Pierre Bourgouin, MD, FRCPC6Patrick P. Bourgouin, MD, FRCPC7Department of Radiology, Radiation Oncology and Nuclear Medicine, Centre Hospitalier de l'Université de Montréal (CHUM), Montréal, Quebec, Canada; Corresponding author.Department of Radiology, Radiation Oncology and Nuclear Medicine, Centre Hospitalier de l'Université de Montréal (CHUM), Montréal, Quebec, CanadaDepartment of Radiology, Radiation Oncology and Nuclear Medicine, Centre Hospitalier de l'Université de Montréal (CHUM), Montréal, Quebec, CanadaDepartment of Radiology, Radiation Oncology and Nuclear Medicine, Centre Hospitalier de l'Université de Montréal (CHUM), Montréal, Quebec, CanadaDepartment of Surgery, Division of Otolaryngology, Centre Hospitalier de l'Université Laval (CHUL), Québec City, Quebec, CanadaDepartment of Medicine, Division of Intensive Care Medicine, Centre Hospitalier de l'Université de Montréal (CHUM), Montréal, Quebec, CanadaDepartment of Radiology, Radiation Oncology and Nuclear Medicine, Centre Hospitalier de l'Université de Montréal (CHUM), Montréal, Quebec, CanadaDepartment of Radiology, Radiation Oncology and Nuclear Medicine, Centre Hospitalier de l'Université de Montréal (CHUM), Montréal, Quebec, CanadaNasogastric tube placement is frequently performed in various medical settings. While generally deemed safe in patients without risk factors, complications may occur due to malposition, justifying the need of systematic confirmation of position with chest radiographs. We present the case of a critically ill male adult patient for whom the tube position was initially deemed very unusual on postinsertion radiographs, prompting further workup which ultimately confirmed an oropharyngeal perforation with a left parapharyngeal, left visceral, retrotracheal, and right retrodiaphragmatic course, and resulting in a recurrent pneumothorax and empyema treated by surgical decortication.http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1930043324012585Nasogastric tubeNasoenteral tubeNasogastric tube misplacementOropharyngeal perforationPneumothoraxEmpyema
spellingShingle Anass Benomar, MD, MSc, FRCPC
Rui-Ning Gong, MD
An Ni Wu, MD
Michele Khayat, MD
Hamza Laref, DMD, MD
Marc-Jacques Dubois, MD, FRCPC
Pierre Bourgouin, MD, FRCPC
Patrick P. Bourgouin, MD, FRCPC
The path of least resistance: The unusual extradigestive journey of a nasogastric tube following oropharyngeal perforation
Radiology Case Reports
Nasogastric tube
Nasoenteral tube
Nasogastric tube misplacement
Oropharyngeal perforation
Pneumothorax
Empyema
title The path of least resistance: The unusual extradigestive journey of a nasogastric tube following oropharyngeal perforation
title_full The path of least resistance: The unusual extradigestive journey of a nasogastric tube following oropharyngeal perforation
title_fullStr The path of least resistance: The unusual extradigestive journey of a nasogastric tube following oropharyngeal perforation
title_full_unstemmed The path of least resistance: The unusual extradigestive journey of a nasogastric tube following oropharyngeal perforation
title_short The path of least resistance: The unusual extradigestive journey of a nasogastric tube following oropharyngeal perforation
title_sort path of least resistance the unusual extradigestive journey of a nasogastric tube following oropharyngeal perforation
topic Nasogastric tube
Nasoenteral tube
Nasogastric tube misplacement
Oropharyngeal perforation
Pneumothorax
Empyema
url http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1930043324012585
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