Nasal foreign bodies in children: should they have a plain radiograph in the accident and emergency?
OBJECTIVE



OBJECTIVE
To determine the proportion of children with nasal foreign bodies who had button batteries as the foreign body.


OBJECTIVE
To describe the clinical care and outcome of those children with a button battery foreign body.


METHODS
A retrospective review of all children presenting to the accident and emergency room with a nasal foreign body or unilateral nasal discharge during a 6-month period was assessed.


RESULTS
Forty-four children were included. The most common object found was a plastic bead (27%), followed by foam, paper, or tissue fragments (23%); food matter represented 15%. A button battery was found in 3 patients (7%); other foreign bodies included stones, buttons, crayons, erasers, and a pellet. Thiry-six (82%) had their foreign body removed without anesthetic and 8 (18%) required a general anesthetic. All 3 children with a button battery went undiagnosed until examination in the operating theater. Because there was no previous indication of the presence of a button battery in the 3 children, the removal of the foreign body under general anesthesia was scheduled for the following day.


CONCLUSIONS
The removal of the button batteries would have been expedited had a plain radiograph been obtained, possibly resulting in less morbidity for our patients. We recommend a plain radiograph in all children presenting with a nonvisible foreign body or unilateral nasal discharge.
Glynn
Fergal
F
Department of Paediatric Otorhinolaryngology Head and Neck Surgery, Adelaide/Meath Hospital, Dublin, Ireland. fglynn@rcsi.ie
Amin
Mohamed
M
Kinsella
John
J
D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D004636:Emergency Service, Hospital / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D005260:Female; D005547:Foreign Bodies / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D008297:Male; D009666:Nose / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D011859:Radiography; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D017678:Sex Distribution