[Inhalation of scarf pin: specificities of this foreign body]

ABSTRACT

The inhalation of scarf pin is a phenomenon increasingly common in countries where women wear the veil and whose consequences can be grave. The aim of this study is to emphasize the danger of holding this object in the mouth and to describe through a retrospective study the diagnostic, the clinical features and the management of 24 cases of inhalation of this foreign body. All cases were young veiled women aged between 13 and 23 years, all victims of accidental inhalation of a metal pin. The most frequently reported symptom was cough in 58% of cases. Chest radiography helped confirm diagnosis and guide the location of the foreign body which was in equal frequency at the right and left bronchial tree [46%] and 8% in the trachea. Flexible bronchoscopy, performed by first intention in all our patients, helped to locate the pin in 19 cases and its extraction in extraction. The spontaneous expulsion was noted in five cases. The inhalation of pin is a pulmonary emergency where endoscopy occupies a primordial place. Prevention remains the best treatment