Ultrasound Imaging of Various Ingested Foreign Bodies in an Ex Vivo Intestinal Model

Foreign body ingestion is an increasingly prevalent issue for children who are in the preverbal to early verbal stages of life. Foreign bodies lodged in the gastrointestinal tract can cause issues such as obstruction, perforation, and fistulae. Radiographic imaging can often locate most foreign bodies; however, radiolucent objects may be missed. Ultrasound is an alternative imaging modality that can be used to locate and track foreign objects as they pass through the bowel. The objective of this study was to characterize the sonographic appearance of various ingested foreign bodies of varying characteristics in an ex vivo gastrointestinal tract segment.

A GE Logiq 9 ultrasound machine with a linear transducer at a frequency of 15 MHz was used to examine various ingested foreign bodies placed in a segment of pig intestinal tract.

Imaged objects varied in visual appearance from echogenicity, texture, size, and shape; acoustic shadows and reverberation artifacts cast were particularly distinguishing characteristics.

Ultrasound evaluation to assess foreign body ingestion in the pediatric population may provide a useful alternative or supportive imaging modality in confirming the location and real-time tracking of the ingested item. This may be especially useful for objects of varying radiodensities that cannot always be reliably seen in traditional radiographs.