title: Emergency endoscopic management of dietary foreign bodies in the esophagus.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  We report our experience of endoscopy in the emergency management of dietary foreign bodies.
  
  
  METHODS
  One hundred thirty-six patients were admitted to the emergency department (ED) between January 1997 and October 2006 for the endoscopic removal of esophageal dietary foreign bodies. They had a mean age of 47.7 years, and 91 (67%) were women.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Most of the ingested materials (98.5%) were successfully extracted using either flexible or rigid endoscope. The objects most frequently ingested were fish bones (48%) and chicken bones (46%). Most of the objects (84%) were lodged in the upper esophagus. Two patients with irretrievable foreign bodies or complicated perforations were taken to surgery.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Because most of these foreign bodies lodged in the upper esophagus, physicians should take care of this area to avoid secondary injury or complications, especially with sharp bones.
authors.affiliation: Division of Gastroenterology, Department of Internal Medicine, Tri-Service General Hospital, Taipei, Taiwan, ROC.
authors.forename: Hsuan-Hwai
authors.initials: HH
authors.lastname: Lin
authors.forename: Shih-Chun
authors.initials: SC
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.forename: Heng-Cheng
authors.initials: HC
authors.lastname: Chu
authors.forename: Wei-Kuo
authors.initials: WK
authors.lastname: Chang
authors.forename: You-Chen
authors.initials: YC
authors.lastname: Chao
authors.forename: Tsai-Yuan
authors.initials: TY
authors.lastname: Hsieh
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000818:Animals; D001842:Bone and Bones; D002645:Chickens; D004635:Emergency Medicine / Q000379:methods; D004945:Esophagoscopy; D004947:Esophagus / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D005260:Female; D005399:Fishes; D005502:Food / Q000009:adverse effects*; D005547:Foreign Bodies / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000628:therapy*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011859:Radiography; D012189:Retrospective Studies