Radheshyam Mahato1 , Manotosh Dutta2
BACKGROUND Foreign body in oesophagus is a common health problem. It is more common in children than adults. The patients present with history of ingestion of foreign body, difficulty in swallowing, pain in throat and neck and pooling of saliva. Sometimes they present with serious complications. Urgent intervention is necessary to prevent complications. METHODS This study was carried out in the department of Otorhinolaryngology of a tertiary care centre of North Bengal. Age of the patients, types of foreign bodies, sites of impactions, removal and complications were studied and outcomes were analyzed. RESULTS Total 83 patients were studied. There were 53 (63.85%) males and 30 (36.14%) females. Oldest patient was 88 years old and youngest patient was 18 years of age with a mean age of 44.54 years. Commonest foreign body was meat bone 35 (42.16%) followed by artificial denture 17 (20.48), chicken bone 10 (12.04%), fish bone 10 (12.04%), meat bolus 5 (6.02%) and safety pin 2 (2.4). 8 patents presented late with complications, retropharyngeal abscess 8 (9.63%), 2 of them died of septicaemia (2.4%). CONCLUSIONS Foreign body in oesophagus is common in adults. Urgent oesophagoscopy and removal of foreign body should be done to avoid complications. Commonest foreign body was meat bone 35 (42.16%).
