Photoclinic
Foresee Your Next Patient
This picture shows an unusual linear white object positioned vertically at the center of the posterior pharynx of a 5-year-old girl’s throat. The child had eaten spaghetti the night before and somehow managed to get a piece of it stuck as shown. She was entirely uncooperative during attempts to remove the strand.
The mother was told to give her something bulky to swallow, such as bread or meat, in the hopes that the spaghetti would be swallowed along with it. This approach worked: the following morning, the mother called to report that the spaghetti was gone.■