Oesophageal foreign bodies: How common is the problem?

Aim: to determine the types and frequency of oesophageal foreign bodies in a tertiary care hospital. methods: this was a pr ospective study carried out in the department of otolaryngology and head & neck surgery,hayat abad medical complex,peshawar,pakistan between january 2010 and december 2012. all cases were thoroughly evaluated including history,head and neck examination and imaging immediately before surgery. results: a total of 63 cases were included in this study. out of which 28 (44.4%) patients were children and 35 (55.5%) were adults. coin was the most common foreign body in the pediatric population (82.1%) whereas meat bolus were the commonest ones (91.4%) in adults. in the pediatric population the commonest site of impaction was upper esophagus (92.8%) whereas upper and mid esophagus were the commonest site (65.7%) in adults. conclusion: coins being the commonest foreign bodies in children are relatively easier to remove due to their higher location and less chances of trauma. while in the adults,meat bolus and bones being the commonest foreign bodies are difficult to remove due to chances of trauma to esophagus.