Foreign body ingestion in children

Foreign body ingestion occurs frequently in children and may lead to severe complications and mortality. In this article, three cases are presented. A 2-year-old boy swallowed a plastic toy helmet. He had no symptoms and physical examination was normal, and the toy was found in the stool within three days. Similarly, a 6-year-old girl swallowed two magnets and was asymptomatic. Physical examination was normal and a radiograph showed a foreign body which had passed the stomach. Due to the location, endoscopic removal by gastroduodenoscopy was not possible and surgical removal unnecessary. The magnets were secreted in the stool within two days. A 10-year-old boy with VACTERL association and psychiatric history, swallowed a button battery. After a delay in presentation, a radiograph showed a button battery mid-esophageal, which was endoscopically removed. He also needed dilatation due to esophageal stenosis. The above cases are all illustrative of the topic covered in the guideline 'Ingestion of foreign bodies in children aged 0-18 years', which was developed on behalf of the Dutch Pediatric Association and published in March 2019.