Asymptomatic foreign body spontaneously discharged from Wharton's duct: a case report

Some situations can lead to obstruction of Wharton's duct. Obstructions are usually due to endogenous causes, such as calculi, fibromucinous plugs, stenosis, and malformations of the duct system; however, in rare situations, obstructions can also have exogenous causes, such as foreign bodies. The tortuous anatomy of Wharton's duct hinders the retrograde migration of straight-shaped foreign bodies, as well as makes their spontaneous discharge virtually impossible. Here, we report the case of a 47-year-old woman with an asymptomatic foreign body in Wharton's duct that was spontaneously discharged.