Nearly missed laryngeal foreign body

Abstract

Foreign body ingestion and aspiration can present as a life‐threatening emergency in children. These foreign bodies are diagnosed based on history, physical exam, and focused radiography to reduce the risk of excessive radiation. We describe a case of a 3‐year‐old child who ingested magnetic beads and presented to the emergency department with no symptoms. On a single view x‐ray of chest and abdomen, the magnetic beads were identified in the abdomen but a closer look at these single view x‐rays raised a suspicion of additional foreign bodies in the larynx. A dedicated x‐ray of the neck identified 2 more magnetic beads locked with each other on either side of the epiglottis. These laryngeal magnetic beads were nearly missed on initial x‐rays, especially because the child had no symptoms of upper airway obstruction. This case report provides further evidence that in the evaluation of radiopaque foreign bodies in children we should strongly consider “nose to rectum” x‐rays.

Desobstrução De Vias Aéreas Devido a Corpos Estranhos Na População Pediátrica: Uma Revisão De Literatura

“…Em outro estudo, foi indicado a consideração de radiografias "do nariz ao reto", mesmo que o paciente não apresente sintomas que indiquem alojamento de CE em outras partes anatômicas que não cabeça, pescoço e tórax, como protocolo essencial para uma avaliação integral de crianças com suspeita de obstrução das vias aéreas. Segundo o artigo, esta abordagem contribui para uma identificação mais precisa de possíveis corpos estranhos, auxiliando na definição da terapia mais adequada (Khan, 2022).…”