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Ear, Nose, and Throat Foreign Bodies in Children: A Retrospective Study
Bin Kwon1, Yeso Choi1, Sung-Kyun Kim1
1Department of Otorhinolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, Dongtan Sacred Heart Hospital, Hallym University College of Medicine, Hwaseong 18450, Korea.
Insights
Pediatric ear, nose, and throat foreign bodies were analyzed in different age groups. Early childhood had the most cases, with throat foreign bodies being most common, guiding emergency department management.
Area of Science:
- Otolaryngology
- Pediatric Emergency Medicine
Background:
- Foreign bodies in the ear, nose, and throat (ENT) are common in children.
- Understanding age-specific presentations and management is crucial for pediatric care.
Purpose of the Study:
- To analyze the presentation, characteristics, and management of ENT foreign bodies in pediatric patients.
- To compare findings across different pediatric age groups: infancy (<2 years), early childhood (2-5 years), and late childhood (6-12 years).
Main Methods:
- Retrospective study of 1285 pediatric patients (<12 years) presenting to the emergency room with suspected ENT foreign bodies from October 2012 to September 2020.
- Data collected included demographics, clinical presentations, foreign body types and locations, and management outcomes.
- Patients were categorized into three age groups for comparative analysis.
Main Results:
- Early childhood (2-5 years) had the highest incidence (52.2%).
- The throat was the most frequent location (59.2%), with bone being the most common foreign body type.
- Foreign bodies were confirmed in 51.1% of patients and successfully removed by otolaryngologists in 95.1% of cases.
Conclusions:
- Findings provide insights into the epidemiology and clinical course of pediatric ENT foreign bodies.
- This study can guide diagnosis and management strategies for emergency departments treating pediatric foreign body ingestions or aspirations.
Background:
This study analyzed the presentation, characteristics, and management of foreign bodies in different age groups of pediatric patients with ear, nose, and throat foreign bodies.
Methods:
A retrospective study was performed using data from October 2012 to September 2020. A total of 1285 patients with ear, nose, and throat foreign bodies who were less than 12 years of age and who presented to the emergency room were included in this study. Their biographical data, clinical presentations, foreign body types and locations, and management outcomes were obtained from medical records and analyzed as three age groups (infancy: <2 years old; early childhood: 2-5 years old; and late childhood: 6-12 years old).
Results:
The early childhood group had the highest number of patients (n = 672; 52.2%). Throat was the most common location (59.2%), and bone was the most common type of foreign body. Among the children who visited our hospital, foreign bodies were actually found in only 657 patients (51.1%) and removed by an otolaryngologist in 625 (95.1%) cases.
Conclusion:
Our study could provide guidance for the diagnosis and management of pediatric patients who present to emergency departments with foreign bodies.
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