Foreign bodies in the aerodigestive tract in pediatric patients

Objective: To investigate pediatric foreign body cases in the aerodigestive tract, and to elucidate the characteristic problems in Japan. Methods: A total of 310 pediatric patients (age 15 or below), gathered from two medical university hospitals (University of Tokyo and Jichi Medical School), were included in this study. Data were collected by retrospective chart review and were statistically analyzed. Results: Two-year-olds were the most common patients, and the range from age 1 to age 4 included 67.7% of all the patients. The most involved sites were the nose (39.4%) and the pharynx (38.4%), followed by the esophagus (12.9%) and the trachea-bronchi (6.5%). Fish bones and toys were the representative foreign bodies (30.7 and 13.6%, respectively). Other foreign bodies often encountered included coins, food, candy, peanuts and nuts, and batteries. The type of foreign body was closely related to the site in which foreign bodies were lodged: 77.3% of foreign bodies in the pharynx were fish bones, and toys were the most common impacted foreign body in the nose. In the esophagus, representative impacted foreign bodies were coins (35.7%), but disk-type battery ingestion has been increasing in recent years. Although most foreign bodies in the esophagus were safely removed, one case of a disk-type battery had a serious sequela. In the trachea-bronchi, peanuts, food, cotton, and coins were impacted. A rigid bronchoscope was basically used to remove foreign bodies, but in some cases, a fine flexible endoscope, with a channel for fiber forceps, was useful, because it could be inserted into narrow bronchi. Advance of a flexible endoscope will make it an excellent tool for diagnosis and management of the trachea-bronchial foreign body. Conclusions: Fish bones in the pharynx, which were closely related to Japanese eating habits, and toys in the nose, were the typical foreign bodies encountered in this study. In the esophagus, an increased incidence of disk-type battery ingestion has become a serious problem in recent years. Since prevention is the most essential way to manage foreign body cases, feedback from studies to public education should be encouraged.     

The management of possible fishbone ingestion

OBJECTIVE: We assessed the usefulness of computed tomography (CT) in cases of suspected impaction of fish bones in the esophagus. The findings of this study were also compared with those of studies in which surgery was used to remove or confirm the presence of fish bones. We accordingly propose a management protocol to ensure optimum outcome for patients with a history of fish bone ingestion. METHODS: X-ray and CT imaging were performed in 76 patients in whom esophageal impaction of fish bones was suspected. RESULTS: Plain X-ray revealed impacted fish bones in 17 patients (22%), soft-tissue swelling but no evidence of foreign body in 5 (7%), and no abnormal findings in 54 (71%). These findings were apparent on CT scans in 31 (41%), 8 (10%), and 37 (49%), respectively. Of the 31 patients in whom CT revealed a fishbone, 17 (55%) also exhibited X-ray evidence of foreign body. Of the remainder, X-ray revealed only soft-tissue swelling in 3 (10%), and was unremarkable in 11 (35%). Among the 5 patients in whom X-ray demonstrated only soft-tissue swelling, CT was positive for foreign body in 3 (60%). Of the 54 patients in whom X-ray appearances were normal, CT revealed foreign bodies in 11 (20%) and other abnormalities in 6 (11%). CONCLUSION: In the present study, sensitivity and specificity of plain X-ray was 54.8% (17 of 31) and 100% (45 of 45), respectively. However, for CT, both sensitivity and specificity were 100%. CT was determined to be very useful in the diagnosis of impacted fish bones in the esophagus.     

Foreign bodies in upper digestive tract

Foreign body ingestion is a common problem frequently encountered in both children and adults. A total number of 152 patients (104 children and 48 adults) with ingested foreign body admitted in our hospital are reviewed. Location of foreign body was made out by radiological examination. History of having swallowed foreign body was the most common symptom in both blunt and sharp foreign bodies. Endoscopic removal of foreign body was done under general anaesthesia for all cases, except one in which foreign body was removed by open surgical method. Blunt, foreign bodies were common among children, where as meat with bone was common in adults (19/48). Most of blunt foreign bodies in children (83.5%) were impacted in post cricoid region. Where as in adutls, the foreign bodies (37.5%) were seen in upper oesophagus. Retropharyngeal abscess was seen in 2 cases, which was associated with sharp foreign bodies. In all but one, endoscopic removal was successful. In one case denture impacted in post cricoid region was removed by open surgical method. There was no mortality in our series.     

Esophagoscopy for removal of foreign bodies in the pediatric population

A retrospective chart review of children who had rigid esophagoscopy for potential foreign body ingestion from 1998 to 2001 was conducted at Children's Hospital of Michigan Detroit. All pediatric patients less than 11 years of age who presented with suspected foreign body ingestion in a hospital setting over a 4-year period were retrospectively studied. Patient characteristics noted included age, sex and clinical presentation. Pre-operative radiographic findings, esophagoscopy findings, clinical presentations and types of foreign bodies were recorded. A history compatible with foreign body ingestion dictates diagnostic endoscopy with or without radiographic confirmation, and an acceptable rate of performing esophagoscopy without finding a foreign body was found to be 6.2%.     

电子喉镜在食管检查中的初步应用

目的 探讨电子喉镜在食管检查中的应用价值.方法 2009年6月至2011年6月在鼻腔表面麻醉下对50例患者应用电子喉镜进行食管检查,其中男32例,女18例;年龄16～88岁,平均53.8岁;慢性咽炎16例,单侧声带麻痹9例,吞咽不利6例,喉癌5例,下咽癌4例,慢性咳嗽和可疑食管异物各3例,颈部转移癌2例,喉接触性肉芽肿和颈部淋巴结肿大各1例.结果 经表面麻醉后,所有患者均能耐受并顺利完成检查,4例患者通过食管入口时出现轻微的恶心反应.食管镜检38例未见异常,发现食管霉菌病和食管炎各3例,食管异物和食管下端食物残留各2例,食管癌和食管划伤各1例,阳性发现率24％ (12/50).结论 电子喉镜可以兼顾经鼻电子食管镜或胃镜的一些功能,对食管病变的初筛诊断有一定意义.     

可视喉镜在喉咽异物取出术中的应用

目的探讨可视喉镜下取出难治性喉咽异物的可行性。方法回顾性分析我科2016年1月~2019年1月经电子喉镜或喉X线正侧位片诊断为喉咽异物的住院患者27例,所有患者在全麻可视喉镜下经喉显微钳顺利取出异物,其中异物位于梨状窝者12例,其中9例为鱼刺,3例为鸭骨头;位于环后区者15例,均为1元或5角硬币。结果所有患者术中暴露良好,经喉显微钳顺利取出异物,麻醉过程中无心血管事件发生,无喉咽黏膜损伤、门齿松动、伤口感染等并发症。结论可视喉镜能很好地暴露喉咽,配合合适的喉显微器械能够顺利取出喉咽异物,安全可行,具有一定的创新性和独特的优势。     

An unusual sharp magnetic foreign body in the oesophagus and its removal: A case report

Ingestion of foreign bodies is a common pediatric problem. The majority of ingested foreign bodies pass spontaneously. Oesophageal foreign bodies should be urgently removed because of their potential to cause complications. Ingested batteries that lodge in the oesophagus, sharp or pointed foreign bodies in the oesophageal or gastric tract, and ingestion of multiple magnets all require urgent endoscopic removal. A 4-year-old boy ingested a sharp magnetic foreign body, which was removed via rigid oesophagoscopy without complication. To the best of our knowledge, this is the only sharp magnetic foreign body ingested by a young child ever reported in the English-language literature. We describe the presentation and therapeutic procedure adopted in this case.     

Aspirated foreign bodies in children: why are they more commonly found on the left?

Aspirated foreign bodies in children: why are they more commonly found on the left? The objective was to present our experience in the brochoscopic removal of foreign bodies in children. This was carried out through a retrospective analysis of the medical records of 96 patients in whom endoscopic removal of an inhaled foreign body was required, at the department of paediatric otorhinolaryngology, Eramus Medical Centre, Rotterdam. The participants were all children who underwent bronchoscopy after suspected foreign body aspiration from 1990 to 2000. The main outcome measures were confirmed diagnosis of foreign body aspiration and localization of aspirated foreign body. It was seen that in children up to 3 years of age, there was no significant difference in foreign body distribution and in children aged 3 and older foreign bodies were more commonly found in the right main bronchus. It was concluded that aspirated foreign bodies are equally distributed between the left and right main bronchus in children younger than 3 years. This could be explained by the handling of choking infants by their parents.     

Migration and extrusion from the upper digestive tract to the skin of the neck of a foreign body (fish bone)

Foreign bodies ingestion is a common problem seen at emergency rooms and mostly involved are fish and chicken bones. The diagnosis can be difficult because of the age of the patient (children and older patients with dental prosthesis). The shape of the foreign body leds to the course of the pathology, with possible mayor complications like migration into the fascial spaces of the neck, retropharyngeal abscess and perforation of the pharynx or esophagus which have the potential to cause morbidity and mortality. We present a 88-year-old lady who swallowed a 3 cm linear sharp fish bone which migrated from the pharynx to the skin of the neck, surfaced through a fistulous orifice and threw out six weeks later. No intervention was needed. A discussion of the management of migrated foreign bodies follows.     

Ear and nose foreign body removal in children

The removal of foreign bodies in children is very common in the otolaryngologist's daily routine. We present a prospective series of 187 cases of ear and nose foreign bodies removed from children aged 0-12 years old in a 6-month period--95 females (50.8%) and 92 males (49.2%); 78 children (41.71%) aged from 1 to 2 years, 66 (35.29%) from 3 to 5 years. There were 93 cases (49.73%) of ear foreign bodies, in which a bean was the most common (24.73%), and 94 cases (50.27%) of nose foreign bodies, in which sponge fragments predominated (36.17%). In 82 cases (45.85%), the removal was performed within the first 24 h after the foreign body insertion, and 86 (45.98%) of the patients had previous attempts to remove it. Thirteen cases with complications (external ear canal lacerations, tympanic membrane perforation) were observed in patients in whom these previous attempts had been made, but there were no sequelae. This corresponds to one of the largest reports of ear and nose foreign body removal in children in the literature; we conclude that younger children are more prone to insert foreign bodies, which are objects usually found at home. Complications may occur as a result of attempts to remove the foreign body without the help of specialised personnel or proper conditions.     

Preoperative sedation in pediatric patients with sleep-disordered breathing

The most common foreign bodies in children are coins, particularly in the age group of 2-5 years. Sharp esophageal foreign bodies in children are not commonly encountered. We present a report of two sharp foreign bodies in young children. Both of them required cervical esophagotomy for removal of the foreign body after an unsuccessful endoscopic attempt. The principles of evaluation and management of sharp and penetrating foreign bodies of the esophagus are described.     

Plastic laryngeal foreign bodies in children: a diagnostic challenge

OBJECTIVE: To review Children's Hospital and Regional Medical Center experience with pediatric airway foreign bodies, and examine the incidence and treatment of laryngeal foreign bodies. To determine if plastic laryngeal foreign bodies present differently than other laryngeal foreign bodies. METHODS: A retrospective review of all cases of children (1874 patients) undergoing direct laryngoscopy and/or bronchoscopy from 1st January 1997 to 9th September 2003 at a tertiary care children's hospital. Patients with endoscopically documented laryngeal foreign bodies were identified and the medical record reviewed in more detail. Patient age, gender, foreign body location, foreign body type, duration of foreign body presence, radiographic findings, endoscopic findings and treatment complications were recorded. RESULTS: One hundred and five aspirated foreign bodies were identified. The nine laryngeal foreign bodies included five clear plastic radiolucent items, two radiolucent food items, and two sharp radioopaque pins. Time to diagnosis and treatment was on average 11.6 days with 17.6 days for thin/plastic foreign bodies and 1.6 days for metal/food foreign bodies. CONCLUSION: Laryngeal foreign bodies represent a small portion of all pediatric airway foreign bodies. Difficulty in identifying laryngeal foreign bodies, especially thin, plastic radiolucent foreign bodies can delay treatment. Thin plastic foreign bodies can present without radiographic findings, can be difficult to image during endoscopy and can be particularly difficult to diagnose. A history of choking and vocal changes is associated with laryngeal foreign bodies. Laryngeal foreign bodies should be in the differential diagnosis of all children presenting with atypical upper respiratory complaints especially if a history suggestive of witnessed aspiration and dysphonia can be obtained.     

Nasal foreign bodies in children

This study investigates the pattern of pediatric nasal foreign body impaction and its management in a metropolitan area. Data was obtained from 147 children presenting to the Accident and Emergency Department over a 4-year period. The majority of foreign bodies were toys and household products. Complications which occurred, such as ingestion of the foreign body or epistaxis were usually related to attempts at removal. Fourteen cases of local complications resulted from button battery impaction. Most of these patients can successfully be managed without complication if correct procedures are adopted.     

Embedded sharp metallic spring in esophagus

Less than 1% of esophageal foreign bodies are irretrievable by endoscopic techniques. These cases require esophagotomy for removal. The impacted metallic spring with sharp ends (in opposite direction) is reported as esophageal foreign body which required esophagotomy after two failed endoscopic removals. The difficulties encountered during endoscopic maneuver, peculiar shape of foreign body and mode of impaction are discussed.     

Inhalation of foreign bodies in chinese children: A review of 400 cases

A retrospective review of 400 Chinese children who had inhaled foreign bodies was undertaken. There has been a yearly increase in the total number of cases of airway foreign bodies removed in our hospital. Fifty-eight percent of the children presenting were from the countryside; 42% were townspeople. Approximately 90% of the patients were under 3 years of age, with the peak incidence of foreign body inhalation occurring between 1 and 2 years of age (57.8%). The male-female ratio was about 1.2:1. About 95% of the removed foreign bodies were organic in origin. The majority of the foreign bodies were found most often in the right bronchial tree (46%). A positive history of foreign body inhalation was obtained in 98% of the cases. Twenty-eight percent of the children presented at the hospital within 24 hours, 71% within 1 week, and 29% more than 1 week after inhaling the foreign body. The most common presenting symptoms of lar-yngotracheal foreign bodies were cough, wheezing, dyspnea, and hoarseness; those of bronchial foreign bodies were cough, wheezing, decreased air entry, and rhonchi. More than two-thirds of the children with laryngotracheal foreign bodies had normal x-ray findings. The most common fluoroscopic findings in those children with bronchial foreign bodies were mediastinal shift (36.8%), obstructive emphysema (35.7%), and normal findings (35%). A total of 348 (87%) bronchial foreign bodies were removed by rigid bronchoscopy (81%), rod-lens bronchoscopy (5%), and spontaneous expulsion (1%); 52 (13%) laryn-geal and tracheal foreign bodies were removed by direct laryngoscopy (12%) and tracheotomy (1%). A single endoscopic procedure successfully removed 92.5% of 400 foreign bodies detected in the airways. One child died during bronchoscopy, for a mortality rate of 0.25%.     

Aspirated foreign bodies in children: why are they more commonly found on the left?

The objective was to present our experience in the brochoscopic removal of foreign bodies in children. This was carried out through a retrospective analysis of the medical records of 96 patients in whom endoscopic removal of an inhaled foreign body was required, at the department of paediatric otorhinolaryngology, Eramus Medical Centre, Rotterdam. The participants were all children who underwent bronchoscopy after suspected foreign body aspiration from 1990 to 2000. The main outcome measures were confirmed diagnosis of foreign body aspiration and localization of aspirated foreign body. It was seen that in children up to 3 years of age, there was no significant difference in foreign body distribution and in children aged 3 and older foreign bodies were more commonly found in the right main bronchus. It was concluded that aspirated foreign bodies are equally distributed between the left and right main bronchus in children younger than 3 years. This could be explained by the handling of choking infants by their parents.     

Three-dimensional CT with virtual bronchoscopy: a useful modality for bronchial foreign bodies in pediatric patients

Bronchial foreign bodies (FB) in children are difficult to diagnose when there is no witness to the aspiration event. The experience with three-dimensional CT and virtual bronchoscopic reconstruction (3D-CTVB) was reviewed for the diagnosis of bronchial FB in pediatric patients in this study. A retrospective review of ten pediatric patients (M:F = 5:5) who underwent rigid bronchoscopy by one otolaryngologist for the impression of a bronchial FB, at a tertiary training hospital, from February 2006 to September 2010 is reported. All patients had a plain chest X-ray and 3D-CTVB. The physical, radiological and bronchoscopic findings of the patients were analyzed. The mean duration from the aspiration event to hospital evaluation was 7 days (0–21 days). Four patients (44%) had witnesses to the aspiration event. Hyperaeration of the affected lung was noted in nine patients (90%) on the plain chest X-ray. In all of the patients, the foreign body location, suspected on the preoperative 3D-CTVB, was consistent with the intra-operative bronchoscopic findings. All FBs were successfully removed by rigid bronchoscopy without any complications. In conclusion, the 3D-CTVB was a very safe and useful diagnostic modality for bronchial FBs. The findings of this study suggest that the 3D-CTVB should be considered for the diagnosis of all patients with suspected bronchial FBs.     

Foreign bodies in the lower respiratory tract: experience based on materials gathered in the ENT department of the Poznań Higher School of Medical Sciences between 1945 and 1997

258 foreign bodies were removed from the lower respiratory tract in ENT Department of Poznań High School of Medical Sciences between 1945 and 1997. The age ranged from 0 to 85 years, but the most numerous group (68%) was found between 0 and 10 years. 86.5% patients were admitted to hospital during first three days after inserting the foreign body. The longest time of foreign body existence inside the bronchus was a period of 18 years. The most often met foreign bodies were: bones, bean seeds, fruit stones, pieces of food, iron nails. Spontaneous evacuation of the foreign body took place in 4% of cases. 98% of foreign bodies were removed by means of rigid bronchoscopy. Bronchofiberoscopy was performed for diagnostic purposes or for taking out foreign bodies located in the peripheral parts of the bronchial tree. 3% of patients were referred to the further toracosurgery treatment.