title: Esophageal foreign bodies in pediatric patients: a thirteen-year retrospective study.
abstract: We discuss clinical symptoms and radiological findings of variable esophageal foreign bodies as well as therapeutic procedures in Caucasian pediatric patients. A retrospective study of 192 cases of suspected esophageal foreign bodies between 1998 and 2010 was conducted. Data were statistically analyzed by chi-square test. A foreign body was removed from a digestive tract of 163 children aged 6 months to 15 years (mean age 4.9). Most objects were located within cricopharyngeal sphincter. Dysphagia occurred in 43%, followed by vomiting (29%) and drooling (28%). The most common objects were coins. Plain chest X-rays demonstrated aberrations in 132 cases, and in doubtful situations an esophagram test was ordered. In the group of thirty-seven patients whose radiograms were normal, esophagoscopy revealed fifteen more objects, which were eventually successfully removed. No major complications occurred. Esophagram should be a second X-ray examination if an object is not detected in plain chest X-ray. We recommend a rigid esophagoscopy under general anesthesia in doubtful cases as a safe treatment for pediatric patients.
authors.affiliation: Department of Anesthesiology and Intensive Care, Children's University Hospital of Lublin, Chodzki Street 2, 20-093 Lublin, Poland. brybojad@wp.pl
authors.forename: Beata
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Rybojad
authors.forename: Grazyna
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Niedzielska
authors.forename: Artur
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Niedzielski
authors.forename: Ewa
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Rudnicka-Drozak
authors.forename: Pawel
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Rybojad
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D003680:Deglutition Disorders / Q000209:etiology; D004945:Esophagoscopy / Q000379:methods; D004947:Esophagus / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D005260:Female; D005547:Foreign Bodies / Q000150:complications / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000628:therapy*; D005549:Foreign-Body Reaction / Q000209:etiology; D041981:Gastrointestinal Tract / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D008297:Male; D009717:Numismatics; D011859:Radiography; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012639:Seeds; D012798:Sialorrhea / Q000209:etiology; D014839:Vomiting / Q000209:etiology