The Strange Case of the Traveling Munchausen’s Earring: A Swallowed Foreign Body that Wasn’t

Authors

  • Logan Napoli Logan Napoli, Cooper Medical School of Rowan University, Camden, NJ, USA. Author
  • Mary Penckofer Cooper Medical School of Rowan University, Camden, NJ, USA Author
  • Thomas Presenz Cooper Medical School of Rowan University, Camden, NJ, USA Author
  • Angelica Piccini Cooper Medical School of Rowan University, Camden, NJ, USA Author
  • Evan Snyde Cooper Medical School of Rowan University, Camden, NJ, USA Author
  • Donald Solomon Division of Otolaryngology – Head & Neck Surgery, Cooper University Health Care, Camden, NJ, USA Author

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.47363/JOLRR/2024(3)119

Keywords:

Factitious Disorder Imposed on Another, Munchausen Syndrome by Proxy, Child Abuse

Abstract

Factitious Disorder Imposed on Another (FDIA), formerly called Munchausen Syndrome by Proxy, is a disorder characterized by the falsification of symptoms of illness and diagnostic testing by a perpetrator in another individual to satisfy a psychological need of the perpetrator. This case report describes the clinical course of a 14-month-old female who presented with a purported swallowed foreign body who was eventually found to be a victim of FDIA following multiple presentations to the emergency department and extensive diagnostic workup. This manuscript aims to shed light on the complexity and potential harm that FDIA can cause patients as well as the burden on the healthcare system and to discuss the challenges in diagnosing FDIA in pediatric patients.

Author Biographies

  • Logan Napoli, Logan Napoli, Cooper Medical School of Rowan University, Camden, NJ, USA.

    Logan Napoli, Cooper Medical School of Rowan University, Camden, NJ, USA.  

  • Mary Penckofer, Cooper Medical School of Rowan University, Camden, NJ, USA

    Cooper Medical School of Rowan University, Camden, NJ, USA

  • Thomas Presenz, Cooper Medical School of Rowan University, Camden, NJ, USA


    Cooper Medical School of Rowan University, Camden, NJ, USA

  • Angelica Piccini, Cooper Medical School of Rowan University, Camden, NJ, USA

    Cooper Medical School of Rowan University, Camden, NJ, USA

  • Evan Snyde, Cooper Medical School of Rowan University, Camden, NJ, USA

    Cooper Medical School of Rowan University, Camden, NJ, USA

  • Donald Solomon, Division of Otolaryngology – Head & Neck Surgery, Cooper University Health Care, Camden, NJ, USA

    Division of Otolaryngology – Head & Neck Surgery, Cooper University Health Care, Camden, NJ, USA 

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Published

2024-04-12

Issue

Vol. 3 No. 2 (2024): Volume 3 Issue 2

Section

Articles