Foreign bodies of the upper gastrointestinal tract

This is a retrospective review of our experience with fiberendoscopic management of 40 separate episodes of foreign body ingestion. Eighteen patients swallowed a food bolus which impacted in the esophagus. Seventy-eight percent of these patients had an esophageal stenosis. Sixteen patients were involved in 22 episodes of true foreign body ingestion. Fiberendoscopic management was successful in 92% of food impactions and 76% of true foreign bodies. In our experience, fiberendoscopic removal is a safe procedure with an 83% overall success rate. It is the method of choice in the management of esophageal and gastric foreign bodies.