Esophageal Stricture: An Uncommon Complication of Foreign Bodies

Abstract

Ingestion of foreign bodies is common in infants. As a rule, the infant is being observed and the event is witnessed. When it is unwitnessed, acute symptoms bring the problem to the attention of a physician. When the ingestion is not witnessed or symptomatic, its presence can only be surmised. The object can create injuries and chronic symptoms that are not typical for this accident. Here is reported an ingestion of a coin that went undiagnosed and untreated for more than a year. The result was a transmural esophageal injury with stricture formation. The diagnostic methods and transcervical repair are described.

Ingested gastrointestinal foreign bodies: predisposing factors for complications in children having surgical or endoscopic removal

“…As we determined in our study, coin is the most frequently ingested FB in children [8,9]. We did not observe any complication caused by coin, but very rarely, complications of coin ingestion due to prolonged impaction have been reported in the literature, such as perforation or stricture of esophagus and tracheoesophageal fistula [3,10]. Since coin was the most frequently ingested metal object, and all the coins were removed without any complication, group II had a lower percentage of metal FBs compared to group I.…”

Esophageal foreign body extraction in children: flexible versus rigid endoscopy

“…This report, along with many other studies, supports the notion that coins are the most common FB ingested by children [3], but virtually any objects that children encounter can become lodged in the esophagus. Retained esophageal foreign bodies can lead to many complications, such as esophageal perforation [4], stricture formation [5], esophageal-aortic fistula [6], tracheoesophageal fistula [7], respiratory distress with or without cyanosis [8], mediastinal infection [9], altered mental status [10], and the potential progression to death [11]. That is why esophageal FB must be removed without delay once the diagnosis is made [11].…”

Esophageal Stricture with a Pseudodiverticulum Caused by the Unrecognized Ingestion of a Small Foreign Body in a Child: Report of a Case

“…Foreign bodies retained for a long time in the esophagus can be life-threatening. [2][3][4]8 Nonopaque foreign bodies are particularly difficult to find by conventional radiography or CT scans. Our patient's mother could not recall him swallowing a foreign body, and the hard plastic sticker was not detected because it was small and nonopaque.…”

“…2 However, an esophageal stricture resulting from foreign-body ingestion is an uncommon complication. 3,4 We report a case of an esophageal inflammatory stricture caused by the previously unrecognized ingestion of a small, hard plastic sticker.…”