Characteristics of Pharyngeal Foreign Bodies on Flexible Fiberoptic Endoscopy

The inconspicuous location and nonspecific symptoms of pharyngeal foreign bodies (FBs) can lead to diagnostic challenges and suboptimal outcomes. This retrospective cohort study aimed to investigate the endoscopic characteristics of pharyngeal FBs to provide guidance for clinical diagnosis and management.

Patients with a chief complaint of FB sensation in the pharynx who underwent flexible fiberoptic endoscopy were included. The χ² test was used to compare FB incidence between anatomical regions; association analysis was used to identify factors associated with an FB sensation.

Of the 460 patients included in the study, FB were confirmed in 190 patients (41%). The root of the tongue (46.84%) and lower poles of the tonsils (18.95%) were the most frequent hypopharyngeal and oropharyngeal sites, respectively. Juvenile patients exhibited a higher incidence of oropharyngeal FB. Additionally, 29 patients (10.7% of patients with an FB sensation) had pharyngeal injury without FB; injuries occurred significantly more frequently in the hypopharynx (21/29, 72.41%) than in the oropharynx (8/29, 27.59%).

Pharyngeal FBs occur more frequently in younger patients and at the root of the tongue. Hypopharyngeal injury is a likely cause of FB sensation in patients with no FB detected on endoscopy.