[Review of 209 cases of foreign bodies in the upper gastrointestinal tract and clinical factors for successful endoscopic removal].

BACKGROUND/AIMS: Most of ingested foreign bodies pass through the gastrointestinal tract spontaneously, but some of them (about 20%) need endoscopic or surgical removal. The aims of this study were to characterize the clinical features associated with foreign bodies in the upper gastrointestinal tract and to determine the clinical factors for their successful removal by endoscopic techniques.

METHODS: We analyzed retrospectively 209 cases of foreign bodies in the upper gastrointestinal tract at Chonnam National University Hospital between May 1998 and May 2003.

RESULTS: Foreign bodies were found in 97.1% (203/209) of the cases during endoscopic procedure. The types were chiefly fish bones (21.2%), coins (14.8%), meats (11.3%), and bezoars (8.9%). The locations were upper esophagus (49.8%), stomach (26.6%), lower esophagus (11.3%), and mid-esophagus (7.4%). Endoscopic removal was successful in 93.1% (189/203) of the cases, and surgical removal was successful in 8/203 (3.9%) of the cases. Age (p=0.015) and short duration of impaction (p=0.015) were the independent factors to predict the successful removal of the foreign bodies by endoscopic techniques.

CONCLUSIONS: Endoscopic removal of foreign bodies in the upper gastrointestinal tract is an effective and safe procedure. Foreign bodies are more successfully removed by endoscopic techniques in children or in cases of short duration of impaction.