The American surgeon
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The American surgeon · Sep 1989
Case ReportsManagement of pediatric patients who have swallowed foreign objects.
The clinical management of children who have swallowed foreign bodies presents a great challenge for both pediatricians and pediatric surgeons. Our 7-year experience of treating 141 patients with a history of foreign body ingestion is reported. In 114 patients, there were 122 foreign bodies present in areas from the esophagus to the rectum, as located by plain chest and abdominal x-ray examination. ⋯ Twenty four coins in the stomach were managed conservatively. Surgical intervention was required in two patients; one patient had a previous history of pyloromyotomy, and a magnet tag measuring 1.5 cm in diameter did not pass through the pylorus for 7 weeks. The other patient had swallowed a sewing needle that moved into the descending colon and abdominal pain ensued.