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.