Características y resultados de la ingestión de cuerpos extraños en niños.
INTRODUCTION
Foreign body (FB) ingestion is a common home accident during childhood; a timely management by the specialists may help prevent complications in the short and long term.


OBJECTIVE
To describe the characteristics and complications of FB ingestion located in the gastrointestinal tract in the pediatric population.


MATERIAL AND METHODS
Two phases, retrospective, and prospective study. Patients diagnosed with FB ingestion between January 1971 and December 2016 were included. The general characteristics of patients, FB type, removal method, and complications were registered. A descriptive analysis was performed.


RESULTS
Over 45 years, 2637 FBs were removed from the pharynx (n= 118), the esophagus (n= 2410), the stomach (n= 103), and the intestines (n= 6). Male patients predominated (50.9%); 74% were younger than 5 years. Besides, 57% arrived within the first 24 hours; ptyalism, dysphagia, and vomiting were the main symptoms; 16% of patients had no symptoms. It was possible to locate the FB using an X-ray in 93% of cases; the most common FBs were coins (78%); the most frequent location was the upper third of the esophagus (79%); 86% of FBs were removed using a rigid endoscope, and complications were observed in 7.8% of patients.


CONCLUSIONS
FB ingestion predominated among children younger than 5 years; metal objects were the most common ones. A plain X-ray is the test of choice for diagnosis; removal is usually done with a rigid or flexible endoscope, depending on the endoscopist's experience.
['Blanco-Rodríguez|Gerardo|G|', 'Teyssier-Morales|Gustavo|G|', 'Penchyna-Grub|Jaime|J|', 'Madriñan-Rivas|Jorge E|JE|', 'Rivas-Rivera|Iván A|IA|', 'Trujillo-Ponce de León|Adrián|A|', 'Domingo-Porras|Juan|J|', 'Jaramillo-Alvarado|José G|JG|', 'Cruz-Romero|Ebenezer V|EV|', 'Zurita-Cruz|Jessie N|JN|']
D000293:Adolescent D000367:Age Factors D002648:Child D002675:Child, Preschool D016099:Endoscopy, Gastrointestinal D005260:Female D005547:Foreign Bodies D041981:Gastrointestinal Tract D006801:Humans D007223:Infant D008297:Male D011446:Prospective Studies D011859:Radiography D012189:Retrospective Studies
foreign bodies complications pediatrics