title: Review of ear, nose and throat foreign bodies in Sarawak General Hospital. A five year experience.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Ear, nose and throat foreign bodies are common in ENT clinical practice. This study was designed to establish the local data of otorhinolaryngeal foreign bodies in term of prevalence among paediatric and adult groups, the clinical features, types of foreign body at different sites, and laterality of foreign bodies.
  
  
  METHODS
  This study was carried out at ENT department, Sarawak General Hospital, Malaysia, from 1st January 2005 to 31st December 2009. A total of 1084 cases were included and statistically analyzed.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Ear foreign bodies showed the highest incidence which was consisted of 480 (44.3%) cases, followed by nose in 270 (24.9%) cases, pharynx in 251 (23.2%) cases, esophagus in 57 (5.3%) cases and laryngo-tracheobronchial tree in 26 (2.4%) cases. Otorhinolaryngeal foreign bodies occurred more frequently in 0-10 year old age group which constituted 651 (60.1%) cases. The descending order of frequency for foreign body sites in adult was pharynx (17.2%), ear (12.8%), esophagus (3.1%), nose (1.7%) and laryngo-tracheobronchial tree (1.1%). The type of foreign bodies varies with age group and site of foreign body lodgement. In general, common foreign bodies in both adult and children were food related, with the additional of small objects such as plastic toy in paediatric group.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Otorhinolaryngeal foreign bodies were found more frequently in children. The types of foreign body were different from age group and sites of foreign body lodgement. The local food constituted the highest incidence of ear, nose, and throat foreign bodies with additional of plastic toys in paediatric group.
authors.affiliation: Hospital Umum Sarawak, Jalan Tun Ahmad Zaidi Adruce, 93586 Kuching, Sarawak. chiun_kian@yahoo.com.sg
authors.forename: Kian Chai
authors.initials: KC
authors.lastname: Chiun
authors.forename: Ing Ping
authors.initials: IP
authors.lastname: Tang
authors.forename: Tee Yong
authors.initials: TY
authors.lastname: Tan
authors.forename: Doris Evelyn Yah Hui
authors.initials: DE
authors.lastname: Jong
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D004423:Ear; D005260:Female; D005547:Foreign Bodies / Q000453:epidemiology*; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D007223:Infant; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009666:Nose; D010614:Pharynx; D012189:Retrospective Studies