Management of Ingested Foreign Bodies in the Upper Gastrointestinal Tract in Childhood: An Experience of 66 Cases and Suggested Recommendations

Background and Study Aims: Foreign body ingestion is a common problem in children. This study presents a retrospective clinical analysis of endoscopic methods in the extraction of ingested foreign bodies from the upper gastrointestinal tract. Patients and Methods: The charts of 75 children who had ingested foreign bodies were retrospectively reviewed. Results: Of the 75 patients, 66 (88%) were managed endoscopically. The type of foreign bodies varied greatly: mainly coins, jewelleries, toy parts, and rarely batteries and chicken or fish bones. The foreign bodies were located in the stomach (n=47), esophagus (n=16), pharynx (n=2) and duodenum (n=1). The success rate of foreign bodies extraction, using mainly Roth-net and other endoscopic accessory devices, was 100%. There were no complications during endoscopic interventions. There were no readmissions for those patients who did not undergo endoscopic examination. Conclusions: Endoscopic approach is the preferable method for the extraction of upper gastrointestinal foreign bodies in pediatric patients. Roth-net is the best endoscopic device for safe retrieval of ingested foreign bodies.