A Retrospective Study of Oesophageal Foreign Bodies using Rigid Oesophagoscopy from Mandya, Karnataka, India

Introduction: Foreign bodies in the oesophagus is one of the commonly seen conditions in the Department of OItorhinolaryngology. Aim: To describe the clinical features and time delay of patients presenting with oesophageal foreign bodies. Materials and Methods: Present study was a retrospective study of case records of 60 patients who underwent rigid oesophagoscopy for foreign body removal at Mandya Institute of Medical Sciences Mandya, Karnataka, India, from January 2017 to December 2019. Details like age and sex of the patient, presenting symptoms, time delay in presentation to the hospital, the type of foreign body ingested, location of the foreign body in oesophagus, any complications were noted in a detailed case proforma. Preoperative X-ray of neck and chest was done in all patients. Descriptive statistical tests like percentage and mean were used to analyse the data. Results: Out of 60 patients, 36 (60%) were children and 24 (40%) patients were adults. Coin was the most common foreign body seen in children (n=32/60, i.e., 53.3%) whereas meat bone was the most common foreign body in adults (n=16/60, i.e., 26.6%). Forty two patients out of 60 presented within 24 hours of foreign body ingestion. Two patients presented after 72 hours of foreign body ingestion. Thirty one patients presented with foreign body sensation in throat, dysphagia was present in 21 patients and two patients presented with fever. Two patients who presented more than 72 hours after foreign body ingestion had mucosal oedema on rigid oesophagoscopy. There was mucosal injury in four patients intraoperatively, two were with dentures, one was with button battery and the other was with a sharp metal locket. Conclusion: Coin was the most commonly seen foreign body in children whereas meat bolus with or without bone was most commonly seen in adults. Timely diagnosis and early removal of the foreign body should be done to prevent complications