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Updated: Aug 13, 2026

Handheld Metal Detector Screening for Metallic Foreign Body Ingestion in Children
Published on: September 11, 2018
[Is the rigid hypopharyngo-esophagoscopy for suspected foreign body impaction still up to date?]
1Klinik und Poliklinik für Hals-, Nasen- und Ohrenkrankheiten, Universitätsklinikum Münster. alberty.hno@uni-muenster.de
Background:
The increasing use of flexible esophagoscopes leads to controversies regarding the current status of rigid hypopharyngo-esophagoscopy in case of suspected foreign body impaction.
Methods:
In a retrospective investigation we analyzed 309 open tube hypopharyngo-esophagoscopies performed for suspected foreign body impaction.
Results:
In 108 patients (35.0 %) a foreign body was detected endoscopically. 69 Patients (22.3 %) had other pathologic findings within the upper digestive tract. 72 % of the foreign bodies and 83 % of the pathologic findings were localized within the hypopharynx or the cervical esophagus.
Conclusions:
The superior diagnostic and therapeutic properties of the classical rigid endoscopy in this area underlines its still actual status in patients with suspected foreign body impaction.
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