Publication:

Diagnosis and management of radio opaque nasal foreign bodies in children

Background Nasal foreign body impaction is a common problem in paediatric population. Children are more affected because they have tendency to put anything in the nose or by their playmates. This study is about the various radio opaque nasal foreign bodies we encountered and their management.

Methods A retrospective study between January 2013 - January 2015, at Institute of child health/Madras Medical College, Chennai, was done in paediatric patients, who have accidently inserted the radio opaque foreign body in their nostrils. The case record were analysed for the nature of radio opaque nasal foreign body, the symptoms, complications encountered.

Results There were 11 patients with radio opaque foreign body in our study. The most common age group was between 1 to 5 years 7 patients were in this age group. The type of foreign was button battery were 5 in number, safety pins 4, marble 1, bolt 1. All the patients were brought to hospital within 4 hours of insertion. We did not encounter any complications while removal of the nasal foreign bodies.

Conclusions Nasal foreign bodies are a common problem among children’s. The foreign body retrieval can be posing a great challenge to the otorhinolaryngologists. The radio opaque foreign body especially button battery, if not removed may lead to serious complications like septal perforation.