Foreign Body Ingestion in Children : Foreign Bodies in the Gastrointestinal Tract Diagnosed by X-ray Examination

Abstract

Children with foreign bodies in the gastrointestinal tract diagnosed by chest or abdominal X-ray examinations were reviewed. Children under 16 years of age with foreign bodies in the gastrointestinal tract from January 2007 to December 2019 were investigated. Age, sex, position and type of foreign bodies, time from oral ingestion to X-ray examination, and treatments were examined. A total of 218 patients were reviewed. The foreign bodies were located in the esophagus, stomach, and intestines in 36, 143, and 39 cases, respectively. Types of foreign bodies in the esophagus were lithium batteries, coins, magnets, round foreign bodies, and others in 3, 14, 1, 5, and 13 cases, respectively. Treatments of foreign bodies in the esophagus were extractions or dropping to the stomach using a Foley catheter or endoscopic removal. Types of foreign bodies in the stomach were mainly round foreign bodies, coins, magnets, and button batteries in 42, 29, 19, and 19 cases, respectively. Foreign bodies in the stomach were treated by extraction using a magnet tube. All children with foreign bodies in the small and large bowel were observed without treatment. All children with foreign bodies recognized by X-ray examination were over the age of two years. An algorithm for the treatment of children with foreign bodies recognized by X-ray examination is presented.