Overview on Gastrointestinal Foreign Bodies in Children

Introduction: Greatest percentage of the upper gastro intestinal accidently swallowed foreign bodies in adults are related to food bolus impaction with meat. Most patients who swallow a true foreign body typically are younger, however young children were recorded to accidently swallow other objects rather than food poluses. Males are more often recorded, and often have significant psychiatric illness and/or drug abuse. Foreign body (FB) ingestion is a very common problem in children. FB may pass through gastrointestinal (GI) system silently without any indication, or it may need an intervention to prevent complications. The diagnosis, decision for involvement and management may have some difficulties, and it’s usually decided according to the case, especially in cases with protracted lodgment. Complications caused by lodgment of ingested GI FBs varies according to many factors and are associated with important morbidity and mortality in children.

Objectives: to show an overview of gastrointestinal foreign bodies in children, its epidemiology, risk factors, hazards and management.