title: Negative findings of esophagoscopy for suspected foreign bodies.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Suspected impaction of esophageal foreign bodies may at times pose a diagnostic problem as to the decision to perform esophagoscopy. It is not unusual to perform a rigid esophagoscopy following a diagnostic work-up for an impacted foreign body and not to find one. This study attempts to delineate the clinical situations where negative esophagoscopies are more likely to occur.
  
  
  METHODS
  In a retrospective analysis of 98 rigid esophagoscopies performed for suspected foreign bodies in our department, an attempt was made to delineate the clinical and radiologic findings characteristic of the patients who had no foreign body at esophagoscopy compared with the patients in whom a foreign body was found.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Negative esophagoscopies were associated with suspected bone (mostly fish) impaction in 20 of the 22 negative esophagoscopies. Other parameters associated with negative findings were prolonged duration of symptoms and a positive finding at the physical examination. In suspected bone impaction, barium studies and neck x-rays were not helpful in determining the presence of a foreign body.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Clinical history is the main indicator in the decision to perform esophagoscopy for suspected foreign bodies.
authors.affiliation: Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, Meir Hospital, Kfar-Saba, Israel.
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Derowe
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Ophir
mesh_terms: D001842:Bone and Bones; D004945:Esophagoscopy; D004947:Esophagus; D005260:Female; D005547:Foreign Bodies / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000453:epidemiology; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011237:Predictive Value of Tests; D012189:Retrospective Studies