Foreign Bodies In The Esophagus
-
Etiology
The lodgement of foreign bodies in the esophagus is influenced by: 1. The shape of the foreign body (disc-shaped, pointed, irregular). 2. Resiliency of the object (safety pins). 3. The size of the foreign body. 4. Narrowing of the esophagu... Prognosis
A foreign body lodged in the esophagus may prove quickly fatal from hemorrhage due to perforation of a large vessel; from asphyxia by pressure on the trachea; or from perforation and septic mediastinitis. Slower fatalities may result from suppuratio... Site Of Lodgement
Almost all foreign bodies are arrested in the cervical esophagus at the level of the superior aperture of the thorax. A physiologic narrowing is present at this level, produced in part by muscular contraction, and mainly by the crowding of the adja... Symptoms
Dysphagia is the most frequent complaint in cases of esophageally lodged foreign bodies. A very small object may excite sufficient spasm to cause aphagia, while a relatively large foreign body may be tolerated, after a time, so that the swallowing f... Unsuccessful Bronchoscopy For Foreign Bodies
The limitations of bronchoscopic removal of foreign bodies are usually manifested in the failure to find a small foreign body which has entered a minute bronchus far down and out toward the periphery. When localization by means of transparent films,...