Button batteries in the ear, nose and upper aerodigestive tract.
OBJECTIVE
With the miniaturization of electronic devices, the demand and usage of button batteries has risen. As a result, button batteries are more readily available for young children to handle and potentially mishandle. They are frequently inadvertently placed by children in their ears or noses. Occasionally they are swallowed and lodged along the upper aerodigestive tract.


METHODS
We outline the pathophysiology of button battery-induced trauma and present key radiological features of button batteries that are important in preventing delayed diagnosis after pediatric ingestion.


RESULTS
Button batteries of all sizes have a distinctive double contour on radiographs.


CONCLUSIONS
Button battery ingestion requires prompt diagnosis and removal. A high index of suspicion along with radiographs help assist with the diagnosis. Potential tragic complications can be averted with expeditious removal.
Lin
Vincent Y W
VY
Department of Otolaryngology, The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, Ont., Canada. vlin@sympatico.ca
Daniel
S J
SJ
Papsin
B C
BC
D004423:Ear; D005260:Female; D005547:Foreign Bodies / Q000150:complications / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000601:surgery*; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D009666:Nose; D013902:Radiography, Thoracic; D041742:Upper Gastrointestinal Tract