Foreign bodies in the esophagus in children and adults – a five-year experience

Abstract

Introduction: Incidents of foreign body ingestion and entrapment in the esophagus are a common pathology that brings patients to emergency departments. The main affected groups are children, adults over 80 years old and people with mental problems as well as patients with an anatomical predisposition to retain larger bites of food in the esophagus – conditions after surgical interventions on the esophagus, after either unintentional swallowing acids and bases or suicide attempt, growing mass causing narrowing of the esophagus in a sudden area and others. The diagnosis of this condition is made based on anamnestic and clinical data (dysphagia, hypersalivation, retching), supported by imaging studies (chest X-ray, esophagography with water-soluble contrast, СТ-scan). The main method of treatment is endoscopic extraction, and if it fails, surgery is performed. Aim: The aim of this study was to analyze the incidence, diagnosis, and management of esophageal foreign bodies, emphasizing the role of endoscopic intervention as the primary treatment approach. Patients and methods: During a five-year period, 419 patients with suspected foreign bodies in the esophagus were treated at our clinic. Of these patients, 138 were under the age of 18, and 281 were adults. Results: A total of 177 cases were found to contain foreign bodies after esophagoscopies were performed, while 242 patients exhibited no such foreign bodies. Conclusions: Esophageal foreign bodies represent a preventable incident that poses a global health concern. They might spontaneously pass into the stomach, but such occurrence is not to be relied upon. Esophagoscopy is regarded as the primary treatment modality for such conditions.