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The significance of early panendoscopy in caustic ingestion in children
1Pediatric Clinic, Institute of Clinical Medicine, Rzeszow, Poland.
Insights
Accidental ingestion of caustic substances can cause severe esophageal and gastric burns. Early fiberoptic endoscopy is crucial for assessing injury severity and guiding conservative therapy, especially in children where symptoms are unreliable.
Area of Science:
- Gastroenterology
- Pediatric Gastroenterology
- Toxicology
Background:
- Accidental ingestion of caustic substances poses a significant risk of esophageal and gastric injury.
- Clinical signs and symptoms in children may not accurately reflect the extent of caustic burns.
- Prompt medical intervention is critical to prevent severe complications.
Purpose of the Study:
- To present cases of esophageal and gastric burns from caustic ingestion.
- To highlight the importance of early fiberoptic endoscopy in diagnosis and management.
- To emphasize the unreliability of clinical signs in pediatric cases.
Main Methods:
- Retrospective review of fourteen cases of accidental caustic ingestion.
- Performance of early fiberoptic endoscopy (panendoscopy) for injury assessment.
- Application of conservative therapeutic strategies based on endoscopic findings.
Main Results:
- Fiberoptic endoscopy enabled precise assessment of burn severity and extent.
- Early diagnosis facilitated appropriate conservative management.
- Delayed endoscopy could lead to organ perforation.
Conclusions:
- Early fiberoptic endoscopy is essential for accurate diagnosis and management of caustic esophageal and gastric burns.
- Panendoscopy should be performed promptly, particularly in pediatric patients due to unreliable symptoms.
- Timely endoscopic evaluation is vital to prevent life-threatening complications such as perforation.
Abstract:
Fourteen cases of esophageal and gastric burns following the accidental ingestion of a caustic substance are presented. Early fiberoptic endoscopy was necessary, for it made possible a precise assessment of the severity and extent of injury and the application of proper conservative therapy. Signs and symptoms of caustic burns in children are an unreliable guide to injury, therefore, panendoscopy should be performed as soon as possible. A delay in the performance of a fiberoptic examination could result in the perforation of the affected organs.