Delayed Diagnosis of a Nasal Foreign Body (Battery) Retained for 13 Years.

Abstract

Retained nasal foreign bodies are commonly encountered in pediatric patients but can go unrecognized when symptoms mimic other chronic nasal conditions. We report the rare case of a 17-year-old female who presented with a 13-year history of unilateral nasal obstruction, purulent discharge, hyposmia, and sleep disturbances. Imaging revealed a metallic foreign body, consistent with a button battery, lodged in the right nasal cavity with associated fibrotic obliteration of the nasal vestibule. The patient underwent endoscopic surgical removal of the battery with favorable postoperative outcomes. This case underscores the importance of considering nasal foreign bodies in the differential diagnosis of chronic unilateral nasal symptoms, regardless of patient age, and highlights the critical role of imaging in prolonged or atypical presentations.