A case of a foreign body (injection needle) inserted into the cervical region as self-mutilation

This report describes a 58-year old man with schizophrenia who inserted a foreign body (injection needle) into the cervical region.The patient visited our clinic 22 days after the episode. The inserted needle was identified inside the left submandibular gland area on preoperative CT scan. During operation, the needle could not be found in the area, and it was found to have moved to a more inferior region on intraoperative X-ray examination. The needle was then detected between the common carotid artery and the internal jugular vein and was removed successfully.We conclude that the location of foreign bodies should be confirmed by X-ray examination before removal.