Fate of an unapproachable sharp metallic foreign body in the gastrointestinal tract

Abstract

Sharp pointed objects carrying a risk of injury and perforation should be removed immediately with a flexible endoscope. In the present case, a 3-year-old boy ingested a sharp pin during a dental procedure. The only complain was mild pain in the throat. Chest X-ray done after 14 h of ingestion revealed a sharp pointed pin in the mid esophagus. On urgent endoscopy, no pin was found, but fluoroscopy (C-arm) image revealed same pin parallel to the endoscope at about 20 cm from incisors. It was planned for video thoracoscopic removal, patient referred to a pediatric surgeon, but, fortunately, the pin passed through stool after 3 days before any intervention.

Keywords

• sharp metallic foreign body
• foreign body in esophagus
• pediatric foreign body in gi tract