Endoscopic management of foreign bodies in the upper-GI tract: experience with 1088 cases in China

Background Reports on endoscopic management of ingested foreign bodies of the upper-GI tract in China are scarce. Objective To report our experience and outcome in the management of ingestion of foreign bodies in Chinese patients. Setting and Patients Between January 1980 and January 2005, a total of 1088 patients (685 men and 403 women; age range, 1 day to 96 years old) with suspected foreign bodies were admitted to our endoscopy center. Interventions All patients underwent endoscopic procedure after admission. Main Outcome Measurements Demographic and endoscopic data, including age, sex, and referral sources of patients, types, number and location of foreign bodies, associated upper-GI diseases, endoscopic methods, and accessory devices for removal of foreign bodies were collected and analyzed. Results A total of 1090 foreign bodies were found in 988 (90.8%) patients. The types of foreign bodies varied greatly: mainly food boluses, coins, fish bones, dental prostheses, or chicken bones. The foreign bodies were located in the pharynx (n = 12), the esophagus (n = 577), the stomach (n = 441), the duodenum (n = 50), and the surgical anastomosis (n = 10). The associated GI diseases (n = 88) included esophageal carcinoma (33.0%), stricture (23.9%), diverticulum (15.9%), after gastrectomy (11.4%), hiatal hernia (10.2%), and achalasia (5.7%). A rat-tooth forceps and a snare were the most frequently used accessory devices. The success rate for foreign-body removal was 94.1% (930/988). Conclusions Ingestion of foreign bodies is a common clinic problem in China. Also in China, an endoscopy procedure is frequently performed, and a high proportion of patients with foreign bodies require endoscopic intervention.