title: Radiographic evaluation of aspirated metallic foil foreign bodies.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Aspirated objects generally represent items accessible to children. When metallic candy wrapper aspiration is questioned, radiographic studies may aid diagnosis. An infant with repeated chest radiographs negative for a metallic foreign body was found to have a multi-layer metallic candy wrapper in the left main bronchus. The purpose of this study was to determine whether conventional and dual-energy radiographic techniques exclude the presence of aspirated metallic foil wrappers.
  
  
  METHODS
  Single-layer and multi-layer metallic candy wrappers were radiographically studied with conventional and dual-energy radiographic techniques in 3 tissue models.
  
  
  RESULTS
  No single-layer metallic samples were detectable with conventional or dual-energy radiography. The multilayer samples were not detectable at less than 8 layers (pulmonary tissue model) or 16 layers (mediastinal model) by either conventional or dual-energy radiography.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Conventional and dual-energy chest radiographic techniques do not reliably exclude the presence of aspirated metallic foil wrappers.
authors.affiliation: Division of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, Department of Surgery, University of Wisconsin, Madison, Wisconsin 53792-7375, USA.
authors.forename: Richard D
authors.initials: RD
authors.lastname: Orgill
authors.forename: Thomas R
authors.initials: TR
authors.lastname: Pasic
authors.forename: Walter W
authors.initials: WW
authors.lastname: Peppler
authors.forename: Mark D
authors.initials: MD
authors.lastname: Hoffman
mesh_terms: D015502:Absorptiometry, Photon; D000535:Aluminum; D001999:Bronchoscopy; D005240:Feasibility Studies; D005547:Foreign Bodies / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D001239:Inhalation; D008297:Male; D011857:Radiographic Image Interpretation, Computer-Assisted; D013902:Radiography, Thoracic / Q000379:methods*; D012135:Respiratory Sounds / Q000209:etiology
chemical_list: D000535:Aluminum