Kaohsiung Journal of Medical Sciences
Volume 23, Issue 9 , Pages 447-452, September 2007

Endoscopic Removal of Foreign Bodies in Children

  • Chien-Heng Lin

      Affiliations

    • Department of Pediatrics, Jen-Ai Hospital, Taichung, Taiwan
    • ,
  • An-Chyi Chen

      Affiliations

    • Department of Pediatrics, China Medical University Hospital, Taichung, Taiwan
    • ,
  • Jeng-Dau Tsai

      Affiliations

    • Department of Pediatrics, China Medical University Hospital, Taichung, Taiwan
    • ,
  • Sung-Hsi Wei

      Affiliations

    • Department of Pediatrics, China Medical University Hospital, Taichung, Taiwan
    • ,
  • Kai-Chung Hsueh

      Affiliations

    • Department of Pediatrics, China Medical University Hospital, Taichung, Taiwan
    • ,
  • Wei-Ching Lin

      Affiliations

    • Department of Radiology, China Medical University Hospital, Taichung, Taiwan
    • Corresponding Author InformationAddress correspondence and reprint requests to: Dr Wei-Ching Lin, Department of Radiology, China Medical University Hospital, 2 Yuh-Der Road, Taichung 404, Taiwan

Received 18 January 2007; accepted 23 April 2007.

Article Outline

The ingestion of foreign bodies such as coins, fish bones, plastic toy parts, batteries, and needles is common in children. Although the majority of ingested foreign bodies pass through the gastrointestinal tract unaided, some children require either nonsurgical or surgical intervention. The medical records of children who presented to the pediatric emergency department of a single tertiary referral center between December 2001 and May 2006 were reviewed. A total of 87 patients underwent an endoscopic procedure because of suspected foreign body ingestion and foreign bodies were identified by endoscopy in 74 patients (85.1%). The mean age of these 74 patients was 3.4 years (range, 6 months to 13 years). The most common site of foreign body lodgment was the esophagus (n=38,51.4%); other sites included the stomach (n=33,44.6%) and duodenum (n=3, 4.0%). The types of foreign bodies included coins (n=42, 56.8%), button batteries (n = 16, 21.6%), sharp objects (n = 9, 12.2%), chicken bones (n = 2, 2.7%) and others (n=5, 6.7%). Only two foreign bodies (button batteries) in the duodenum could not be removed successfully by endoscopy. Instead, they were moved into the intestine and then eliminated spontaneously the following day. There were no major complications caused by foreign body ingestion or endoscopic procedures. The outcome of all patients was uneventful without morbidity or mortality. In our experience, endoscopic removal of foreign bodies under general anesthesia is an effective and safe method in children; the method also prevents erosion and perforation of the gastrointestinal tract.

Key Words:  endoscopy , foreign body ingestion

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PII: S1607-551X(08)70052-4

doi:10.1016/S1607-551X(08)70052-4

Kaohsiung Journal of Medical Sciences
Volume 23, Issue 9 , Pages 447-452, September 2007

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