A Case of Cricoid Cartilage Calcification Was Misdiagnosed as an Esophageal Foreign Body

This article presents the case of a 37-year-old female patient who was admitted to the hospital with a sore throat after accidentally ingesting a chicken bone. Multiple computed tomography scans revealed a striated hyperdense shadow along the posterior pharyngeal wall, which was initially misdiagnosed as an esophageal foreign body. However, subsequent endoscopic evaluations failed to identify any foreign object. After further imaging studies and multidisciplinary consultation, the final diagnosis was physiologic calcification of the posterior lamina of the cricoid cartilage. This case highlights the importance of distinguishing between laryngeal cartilage calcification and esophageal foreign bodies on imaging to avoid unnecessary interventions.