Forgotten left bronchial foreign body spontaneously expelled during chest physiotherapy: a pediatric case report

Foreign body aspiration is common in pediatric setting and in chronic cases such patients often present with clinical features similar to infective respiratory etiologies. This is the case of a forgotten left bronchial foreign body in a 5-year-old girl, who presented with worsening of recurrent cough and fever. She was previously being treated as case of bronchial asthma and foreign body was missed on the imaging as well. It was subsequently expelled by chest physiotherapy. The case highlights the importance of having foreign body aspiration (FBA) as a differential in cases of chronic cough, even without any history of choking, to avoid diagnostic challenge. Moreover, spontaneous expulsion of foreign body was incidental clinical event and is not substitute for standard clinical care.