title: [Voluntary or accidental ingestion of foreign bodies: clinical considerations in 142 cases].
abstract: The authors report on a series of 142 patients who had swallowed foreign bodies over the period 1981-1999. After outlining the various ways in which the foreign bodies were swallowed and the fact that they were eliminated spontaneously by natural routes in 80-90% of cases, the authors deal at some length with the serious complications that occurred in some of these cases, which, as a result of their characteristics and mode of ingestion, may require emergency surgery for their resolution. In particular, the authors describe 6 cases of foreign bodies that were urgently removed by endoscopy and also describe 3 cases in detail (1 perforation and 2 bowel obstructions) in which a laparotomy was required not only to correct the complication but also to definitively clarify the diagnosis.
authors.affiliation: la Clinica Chirurgica Generale e Terapia Chirurgica Policlinico Universitario G. Martino, Messina.
authors.forename: Antonino
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Parisi
authors.forename: Pietro
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Maccarone
authors.forename: Giovanni
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Parisi
authors.forename: Giuliana
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Anastasi
authors.forename: Giuseppe
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Basile
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D002648:Child; D003106:Colon / Q000293:injuries / Q000601:surgery; D003679:Deglutition; D004630:Emergencies; D004724:Endoscopy; D005260:Female; D005547:Foreign Bodies / Q000150:complications / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000601:surgery; D006801:Humans; D007077:Ileal Diseases / Q000209:etiology / Q000601:surgery; D007082:Ileum / Q000293:injuries / Q000601:surgery; D007415:Intestinal Obstruction / Q000209:etiology / Q000601:surgery; D007416:Intestinal Perforation / Q000209:etiology / Q000601:surgery; D007813:Laparotomy; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012810:Sigmoid Diseases / Q000209:etiology / Q000601:surgery