The statistical study was done on 81 cases of the foreign bodies in the food passages (73 cases) and air passages (8 cases), who had visited the Dept. of Otolaryngology of Kyung Hee Medical Center and treated endoscopically, from Nov. 1971 to Mar. 1976.
The results were as follows,
1) The incidence of esophageal foreign bodies (73 cases) in order of frequency was coin (61 cases;
86.3%), bone(6 cases; 8.2%), food particles(3 cases; 4.1%), disc(2 cases), and other metals(1 case). The incidence of foreign bodies in the air passages (8 cases) was food particles (3 cases; 37.5%),
pointed metals (2 cases; 25%), plastic pencil cap (1 case), plastic ring (1 case), and wood piece (1
case) in order.
2) In sex distribution, 51 cases (62. 6%) were males and 30 cases (37.1%) were females, and the ratio between males and famales was about 1. 7 : 1.
3) In the age incidence, 69 cases (82. 5%) of all foreign bodies were under 5 years of age, and especially, coin cases under 5 years of age were 59 cases (96.7%) and the highest was 8 years of age, lowest was 11 months of age.
7 cases (87.5%) of all airway foreign bodies were unders 10years of age.
4) The ratio between the food passages (73 cases) and the air passages (8 cases) was about 9 : 1.
In the location of the foreign bodies of the food passages, 66 cases (90. 4%) were in the first esopha
geal narrowing, 5 cases (6.9%) in the second narrowing, and 2 cases (2. 7%) in the third narrowing. In the air passages, the frequent sites were trachea (5 cases; 62.5%), larynx (2 cases), and bronchus
(1 case) in order.
5) In the duration of the lodgement, 63 cases (86.3%) of esophageal foreign bodies were removed within 24 hours, and one case was removed within 16 days.
The number of cases lodged within 24 hours were 4 cases (50%) in the air passages and one case was removed within 18 days.
6) In treatment, 37 cases (50. 7%) of esophageal foreign bodies were extracted by upper esophagos-
copy, 33 cases (42. 5%) by esophagoscopy under the local anesthesia, and 3 cases (4-19165) by esophagoscopy under the general anesthesia.
8 cases of the coin cases were passed into the stomach during the endoscopic examination.
2 cases (40%) of tracheal foreign bodies were extracted by bronchoscopy with tracheotomy under the local anesthesia, 3 cases (60%) by bronchoscopy under the general anesthesia, and bronchial foreign body (1 case) by open thoracotomy under the general anesthesia at Dept. of Chest surgery.
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