Haemoptysis due to unsuspected foreign body penetration of the oesophagus.

A 42-year-old man presented with haemoptysis of undetermined cause for five months despite thorough investigation. Exploratory thoracotomy showed there had been "silent" penetration by a chicken bone through oesophagus into the lung. A retrospective review showed that the foreign body could be seen in only four out of 54 chest roentgenograms taken.