The role of endoscopy in caustic ingestion in the pediatric population: Experience in a tertiary center

Abstract

Introduction: caustic ingestion in children is rare but has potentially serious consequences. Aim: to analyze the clinical and endoscopic features and the type of caustic ingested in our population. Methods: the upper endoscopies performed in this setting, as well as the characteristics of patients and caustics, were analyzed from 2010 to 2018. Results: fifty-one endoscopies were performed (48 cases of witnessed intake or high suspicion and three with a low suspicion) in patients with a mean age of 2.55 years. Alkali ingestion was more frequent (88.2 %) and 56.9 % of the endoscopies were normal, which was more frequent among those who ingested bleach (72 %). Alkali tended to produce more esophageal injuries (31.1 %) and acids tended to produce esophageal (20 %) and esophageal-gastric injuries (20 %). Four patients developed esophageal stenosis during follow-up. Conclusion: even though more than half of the studies were normal, endoscopy is important in the diagnosis and prognosis of these patients.