title: Foreign bodies in ENT in a teaching hospital in Eastern India.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To evaluate the nature, common sites, modes of presentation of various foreign bodies (FB) in Ear, Nose and Throat (ENT).
  
  
  METHODS
  Observational retrospective study carried out at Vivekananda Institute of Medical Sciences, Ramakrishna Mission Seva Pratishthan. The study period was between Jan 2006 to Jan 2007. The information obtained from the hospital record books.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Four hundred and eighty-two patients presented in the Department of Otorhinolaryngology of Vivekananda Institute of Medical Sciences, in the study period with FB in their ENT. Out of 482 pts, the commonest location of FB was to be in throat with 302 pts (62%) followed by ear with 119 pts (25%) and nose 61 pts (13%). Amongst the FB in throat the commonest was fish bone and the commonest site being tonsils. Artificial denture accounted for a significant number of 13 (4.3%). External auditory canal was the commonest site of FB lodgment in ear found in 118 patients (99.16%). Nasal FB were found in 61 patients; more common in pediatric age group (98.36%).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  From this study we have found that FB lodgement is a very common complaint with which patients come to otolaryngologist. The commonest site of FB lodgement is in the throat. Most of the FB could be removed in emergency room (ER) with or without Local Anesthesia.
authors.affiliation: Department of ENT and Head and Neck Surgery, Medical College, Kolkata, India.
authors.forename: Saurav
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Sarkar
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Roychoudhury
authors.forename: B K
authors.initials: BK
authors.lastname: Roychaudhuri
keywords: Fish bone; Foreign bodies; Pediatric age group