Foreign body in upper digestive tract.

OBJECTIVE

Foreign body ingestion is a common clinical problem, encountered in children.

METHODS

A total number of 104 patients with ingested foreign body admitted in our hospital are reviewed. Endoscopic removal was done for all foreign objects impacted in esophagus.

RESULT: In 84.6% cases, history of having swallowed the foreign body was most common symptom. Majority of patients (61.53%) presented within 24 hours after ingestion of foreign body. Coins were the most frequent offending agents in children (87.5%). Seventy six cases of coins were impacted in the postcricoid region. Complications of retropharyngeal abscess was seen in two cases (1.92%), which was associated with sharp foreign body.

CONCLUSION

Early removal of these sharp foreign bodies must be considered to reduce the risk of this complication.