[Foreign bodies in esophagus in children: case series]. / Cuerpos extraños en el esófago en los niños: Serie de casos.

ABSTRACT

Ingestion of foreign bodies is an avoidable accident that is seen mainly in children under 3 years-old. Most of them pass through the digestive tract without causing clinical manifestations or complications, but a significant percentage is impacted in the esophagus causing vomiting, sore throat, dysphagia and drooling. The most common foreign bodies are coins. Complications usually occur when there is a delay in diagnosis or with large, sharp or potentially toxic objects, as the button battery. It is essential to make differential diagnosis between coin and button battery, since the latter requires urgent removal due to the earliness of the injury caused. We report 115 cases of foreign bodies in the esophagus, and we alert the pediatrician in recognizing and preventing this problem.