Childhood Nasal Foreign Bodies: Analysis of 1724 Cases

Özet

Objective: This study evaluates the characteristics ofthe foreign bodies removed from the nose, the treatment methods used, and the complications associatedwith the foreign body, and discusses the reports in theliterature.Methods: Age, gender, type of foreign body, side ofnose, clinical symptoms, complaints, diagnosis andtreatment methods were retrospectively evaluated inall 1724 pediatric patients with foreign bodies.Results: Of the 1724 patients, 841 (48.7%) were female and 883 (51.3%) were male. Their mean age was4.3±3.06 years (age range: 4 months-16 years). Foreign body was found on the right side in 928 (53.8%),on the left-side in 768 (44.5%) and bilaterally in 28(1.6%) patients. The foreign bodies were inorganicsubstances such as beads, paper, napkins, toy parts,batteries, pencils, erasers in 1287 cases (74.7%) andorganic materials such as hazelnuts, walnuts and fruitseeds in 437 cases (25.3%). The foreign bodies wereextracted in outpatient settings in 1709 cases. Fifteenpatients in whom the foreign body was located in theposterior region and/or who were uncooperative weretreated under anesthesia. The most common complication was epistaxis. Septal perforation was seen inone patient with alkaline battery.Conclusion: In pediatric patients presented to theotolaryngology and the pediatrics clinics with complaints involving nasal obstruction, unilateral purulent nasal discharge, epistaxis, and foul odor, possibility of a foreign body in the nose should be keptin mind.