Foreign bodies in digestive tract of children: A tertiary care hospital experience

Introduction: Foreign bodies in the digestive tract are an important cause of morbidity and mortality in paediatric age group and pose diagnostic and therapeutic challenges We performed this study to evaluate our experience of foreign bodies of digestive tract in children over a five year period in a tertiary referral center. Patients and Method: A retrospective study was conducted over a 5-year period between April 2009 and March 2013. All patients who were managed for foreign body in digestive tract up to 12 years of age were included and analysis was performed from case record of patients. Results: Total 97 patients with FB in digestive tract were included in the study FB was most commonly lodged in Upper esophagus in 61 patients, middle esophagus in 12 cases lower third of esophagus in 14 cases and beyond gastro-oesophageal junction in 10 cases. The most common clinical presentations were dull pain. Coins were the most common type of foreign body in the esophagus accounting for 71.1% of patients. Plain neck and chest x-rays antero-posterior and lateral view was diagnostic in all cases, with all FB being opaque. Rigid oesophagoscopy and removal under general anesthesia was the main treatment modality performed in 63 (65.8%) and Magill forceps extraction was done in 20 cases. Conclusion: Foreign bodies in digestive tract of children are a common problem with diverse presentation. Disc battery ingestion is prone for complication and expedient removal is required & associated conditions can pose risk for lodgment of foreign bodies.