An Unusual Spectrum of Upper Gastrointestinal Tract Foreign Bodies: A 4-Year Prospective Endoscopic Study

Introduction: Ingestion of a foreign body (FB) is a commonoccurrence in day to day clinical practice; however, fewstudies have been reported from Northern India. The aimof this study was to study the spectrum and managementoutcome of patients with FBs in their gastro intestinal tracts(GIT) presenting to gastroenterology unit in a tertiary carereferral hospital.Material and methods: Data were collected from allconsecutive patients with history of FB ingestion admitted toour endoscopy centre from January 2015 to December 2018.The demographic data, clinical presentations, and endoscopicmanagement was reviewed and analyzed.Results: A total of 204patients with suspectedFBingestionunderwent endoscopic management. 211 FBs were found in204 patients with suspected FB.Scarf pin was most common(57.3%) followed by knitting needle in twenty-six (12.3%)cases. Most of theFBs were located in the stomach (72.6%). Themajorityof patients (95.2%) were successfully removed withflexibleendoscopy with the addition of suitable accessorieswithout any serious procedure-related complications.Conclusion: In this part of the world the pattern and types ofUpper gastrointestinal tract foreign bodies is unique not seenelsewhere across the globe. Endoscopic management wasfound to be highly safe and efficacious.

A clinical study on association between hearing loss and inflammatory bowel disease in a population attending a hospital.

Background: Inflammatory bowel disease usually presents with gastrointestinal stigmata of weight loss, anaemia, and rectal bleeding, but may exhibit prominent extra-intestinal manifestations also such as joint symptoms, skin signs and some other auto-immune manifestations. During the last few years many authors have reported serious complications of IBD manifesting in the Ear-Nose-Throat (ENT) and influencing disease morbidity. Methods: Twenty four patients with active ulcerative colitis (mean age 45 years) were recruited prospectively along with 24 healthy age- and sex-matched controls. Otoscopy, tympanometry and pure tone audiometry were performed. Otoscopy and tympanometry were normal in all patients and controls. Pure tone audiometry showed sensorineural hearing loss over all frequencies in patients with inflammatory bowel disease and compared with controls. The otologic data including age of onset, family history of otologic problems, exposure to noise and audiometric findings were also reviewed. Results: Out of 48 patients with a history of IBD, 24 had documented SNHL, 17 of these patients had a diagnosis of ulcerative colitis and 7 had Crohn’s disease. 22 patients had bilateral SNHL, and 2 patients had unilateral SNHL. Tinnitis were the most common associated aural complaint. Conclusion: Sensorineural hearing loss is very unusual finding, possibly of auto-immune aetiology. We recommend steroid or immunosuppressive therapy in such a patient. Evidence for an autoimmune basis for this condition is reviewed and the potential benefit of systemic corticosteroids emphasized.