Nasal foreign bodies in children: Types, locations, complications and removal

To evaluate 1875 cases of nasal foreign body (NFB) removal with regard to type of foreign body (FB), location, complications, techniques for removal, age and gender, and to present the results of the evaluation.

Between 2006 and 2013, a total of 1875 NFBs were removed from 1870 children in ENT Services of Antalya Ataturk State Hospital and Izmir Tepecik Training - Research Hospital. A retrospective review was undertaken to evaluate the parameters related to the NFBs and their removal and the data were analyzed.

The most frequent NFBs were hard spherical objects and the most common locations to lodge were on the right side just anterior to the middle turbinate. Prolonged exposure increases the complication rate, and button batteries are particularly ominous as they drift into the airway, never observed. We found a higher incidence in patients between ages 2 and 5 years. The distribution of NFBs was 52.9% in boys and 47.1% in girls.

NFBs are most commonly hard, round objects. Button batteries and penetrating FBs must be treated immediately. Complications from NFBs are rare but may be potentially serious or even life threatening.