Analysis of 232 Patients with Esophageal Foreign Bodies

ABSTRACT Background: Esophageal foreign bodies (EFB), which can be seen in adults as well as being more common in the pediatric population, are important because of their serious and life-threatening complications when diagnosed late. For this reason, we aimed to review EFBs. Materials and Methods: Hospital records of 232 patients who underwent emergency rigid esophagoscopy with the prediagnosis of EFB in our clinic between January 2007 and April 2023 were reviewed retrospectively. Esophagoscopy was performed with rigid esophagoscopy under general anesthesia. Results: Of these patients, 134 (57.8%) were male. The median age was 5.50 years ± 2.12 years in the pediatric population and 50.26 years ± 16.33 years in the adult population. The mean time from insertion of the foreign body into the esophagus to removal with a rigid esophagoscope was 13.1 hours. The foreign body was localized in the cervical esophagus with a rate of 67.5%. In the pediatric group, the most encountered foreign body was a metal coin, while in the adult group, it was a bone fragment. Rigid esophagoscopy (n = 160) or direct laryngoscopy (n =72) was used for removal of the EFB. Esophageal perforation was seen in a total of 7 (3.0%) patients. Mortality was observed in 3 (1.3%) of our patients. Mortality was observed in 3 (1.3%) of our patients. Two of these were due to mediastinitis and one was due to additional diseases. Conclusions: Early diagnosis and treatment of EFBs is important because of the seriousness of their complications. Foreign body removal by rigid esophagoscopy is a reliable treatment method that should be performed as soon as possible. If the foreign body is sharp-edged, has penetrated the esophageal wall and it cannot be removed without complication, it should be removed by surgical operation.