Esophageal foreign bodies : a retrospective study of 220 cases

Abstract EN

Objectives: This is a retrospective study of the management of esophageal foreign bodies in Sudanese patients and a comparison with similar international series.

Methods: total of 220 patients underwent rigid esophagoscopy for removal of foreign body at Wad Medani Teaching Hospital, Wad Medani, Central Sudan over a period of 10 years (from January 1990 to December 1999).

Various parameters including age, sex, site of impaction, nature of the foreign body, presence of other associated conditions, and the outcome were studied.

Results : Ages ranged from 18 months to 70 years.

Male to female ratio was 1.3:1.0.

32% of the patients were children.

41% of the patients were young adults between 16-40 years of age.

27% of the patients were over the age of 40.

The impaction occurred in the upper third of the esophagus in 87.7% of the patients; 10% had the impaction in the middle third; only 2.3% had the impaction in the distal abdominal segment of the esophagus.

Bones and pieces of meat accounted for 67.3% of the impactions in adults.

Coins accounted for 22.7% of the cases in children.

In 5.5% of cases, there was an underlying condition such as postcricoid web (2.7%), stricture (0.9%), tumor (0.9%), pharyngeal pouch (0.5%), and a neuromuscular disorder (0.5%).

Mortality due to complications related to the extractions of the foreign body was 1.4%.

Conclusion : The pattern of esophageal foreign body resembles that in previously published studies with the exception that the problem is more common in a younger age group in Sudan.

The use of electric butchery saws is recommended to lessen the occurrence of bone fragmentation, which frequently occurs with the traditional methods of preparing meat.

It is recommended that the esophagus be reexamined immediately after extraction to detect any underlying pathology.