A statistical analysis of patients with foreign bodies in our hospital during the past 7 years (1988-1995)

Abstract

A statistical analysis of 334 cases involving foreign bodies in the otorhinolaryngological field treated in our hospital between March 1988 and February 1995 is reported. The 344 cases represented 0.92% of the total number of outpatients (36406) during the same period. We found that 114 cases involved the external auditory canal (34%), 71 cases the nasal cavity (21%), 134 cases the oral cavity and pharynx (40%), and 15 cases the esophagus and trachea (4%). Cases involving the external auditory canal and nasal cavity, especially the nasal cavity, were most frequently found in children under 10 years old. The most frequent foreign bodies were hairs in the external auditory canal. Plastics were most common in the nasal cavity. Foreign bodies in the oral cavity and pharynx were mainly found in the faucial tonsil, and most of the foreign bodies found in this area were fish bones. There were 14 cases of foreign bodies in the esophagus, and of these, 12 involved items lodged at the first narrowing portion, while 2 cases involved the second narrowing portion. Again, fish bones were the most common foreign bodies found in the esophagus. In the trachea, there was only one case of a foreign body, which involved a peanut.