[Caustic burns of the stomach secondary to ingestion of acid in infants: importance of fibro-endoscopy].

Two cases of corrosive burns of the stomach after the ingestion of acid by children are presented. Both patients were the same sex and of a similar age (19 and 20 months). The chemical nature of the caustic substance ingested (hydrochloric acid) and the lack of initial symptoms were also similar. The clinical diagnosis however, was completely different due to the endoscopic finding of serious gastric lesions in one of the patients which were then treated accordingly. In children, the accidental ingestion of caustic acids is often accompanied by few clinical symptoms initially. This can lead to failure to diagnose correctly when symptoms are correlated with the existence and severity of digestive lesions. When a caustic substance has been ingested, in addition to symptoms, consideration of the acidity or alkalinity of the ingested product is also an important parametre in evaluating endoscopic findings.