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Handheld Metal Detector Screening for Metallic Foreign Body Ingestion in Children
04:55

Handheld Metal Detector Screening for Metallic Foreign Body Ingestion in Children

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Airway Foreign Bodies

Mary Catherine Brown1, Ann Powers1, Michal Trope1

  • 1Division of Otolaryngology, Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, 3500 Civic Center Boulevard, 5th Floor, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA.

Otolaryngologic Clinics of North America
|May 14, 2026
PubMed

Insights

Pediatric airway foreign body ingestion, especially organic material in young children, is a common emergency. Rigid bronchoscopy is the primary diagnostic and treatment method for suspected aspiration.

Area of Science:

  • Pediatric Emergency Medicine
  • Otolaryngology
  • Pulmonology

Background:

  • Pediatric airway foreign bodies are frequent and can be life-threatening.
  • Ingestion of organic material is most common in children under 3 years old.
  • Clinical presentation often includes sudden onset of symptoms like wheezing and diminished breath sounds, with radiological signs of air-trapping.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To outline the diagnostic and treatment approach for pediatric airway foreign bodies.
  • To emphasize the role of rigid bronchoscopy as the gold standard.
  • To discuss the utility of computed tomography (CT) scans in specific clinical scenarios.

Main Methods:

  • Review of clinical presentation, diagnostic tools, and treatment modalities for pediatric airway foreign bodies.
  • Emphasis on the gold standard diagnostic and therapeutic procedure: rigid bronchoscopy.
  • Evaluation of the adjunctive role of computed tomography (CT) scans in cases with uncertain suspicion.

Main Results:

  • Rigid bronchoscopy is the definitive procedure for diagnosis and treatment of pediatric airway foreign bodies.
  • A high clinical suspicion for aspiration warrants a low threshold for proceeding to rigid bronchoscopy.
  • CT scans can aid decision-making in cases with low to intermediate clinical suspicion.

Conclusions:

  • Prompt recognition and intervention are crucial for managing pediatric airway foreign bodies.
  • Rigid bronchoscopy is the cornerstone of management for suspected foreign body aspiration in children.
  • Computed tomography (CT) scans serve as a valuable adjunct in select cases to refine diagnostic and treatment strategies.

Keywords:
Airway foreign bodyAspirationBronchoscopyPediatricRespiratory distress

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