A Review of Cases of Tracheo-Bronchial and Esophageal Foreign Bodies Treated during the Past Fifteen Years

Abstract

A statistical study was made on the cases of the foreign bodies in the tracheo-bronchus and esophagus treated in our clinic between 1972 and 1986.
Thirty cases in the tracheo-bronchus, (male to female ratio was 2 to 1), were treated. The annual incidence was not remarkably changed. About 85 percent of the total cases were below age 10, especially 43 percent were one-years-old babies. Beans as the foreign bodies were most,50 percent. The difference in the incidence between the right bronchus and left was not observed.
There were 256 cases in the esophagus with a sex ratio of 1 to 1 were found. The incidence had no remarkable change. Two peaks were observed in the age distribution, the one in children below age 10 and the other in aged people above 60. About 45 percent of foreign bodies were coins,14 percent fish bone and 11 percent pieces of meat. Almost coins observed in the cases of children and pieces of meat were found frequently in the aged. The incidence of PTP foreign bodies appeared to be increasing.