Archive · 27 Jul 2026
Mumbai Girl's Lung Damaged After Pen Cap Mistaken for TB, Asthma
A 10-year-old girl in Mumbai had a pen cap stuck in her lung for over seven years.
Doctors thought she had TB or asthma because she coughed a lot and had trouble breathing.
They gave her medicine and inhalers, but it didn't help.
Finally, a special scan showed the pen cap, and doctors removed it.
But part of her lung was already damaged, so they had to remove a piece.
Now, she is getting better.
Doctors say it's important to check for things like pen caps if someone keeps coughing or getting sick, even if tests don't show anything.
A 10-year-old girl in Mumbai had a pen cap lodged in her lung for over seven years.
Doctors initially misdiagnosed her condition as tuberculosis (TB) and asthma.
Standard X-rays failed to detect the pen cap, leading to prolonged misdiagnosis.
A CT scan and bronchoscopy revealed the pen cap, which was then removed.
Due to irreversible lung damage, part of her lung had to be surgically removed.
- Who
- A 10-year-old girl from Mumbai
- What
- A pen cap lodged in her lung for over seven years, misdiagnosed as TB and asthma
- When
- Discovered in July 2026
- Where
- Mumbai, India
- Why
- The pen cap was not visible on standard X-rays and symptoms mimicked TB and asthma
Medical Misdiagnosis
Early Detection Importance
Diagnostic Challenges
Medical Misdiagnosis
Doctors initially misdiagnosed the condition due to the pen cap's invisibility on standard X-rays and symptoms resembling TB and asthma.
Early Detection Importance
Early detection through advanced imaging like CT scans and bronchoscopy could have prevented long-term damage.
- Patient Age
- 10 years old
- Location
- Mumbai, India
- Foreign Object
- Pen cap
- Duration of Misdiagnosis
- Over 7 years
- Treatment Received
- Antibiotics, TB evaluation, asthma inhalers
- Diagnostic Tools
- CT scan, bronchoscopy
- Surgery
- Partial lung removal
