Prolonged gastric retention of a swallowed coin following pyloromyotomy.

Ingestion of foreign objects is a common problem in children 6 months to 3 years of age. Of swallowed objects reaching the stomach, 97% will pass through the remainder of the gastrointestinal tract. The following is a report of a child who had a pyloromyotomy for pyloric stenosis as an infant and had prolonged retention of a swallowed penny.

Mediastinal hematoma mimicking aortic rupture.

The case of a child who fell a relatively short distance and had clinical and x-ray findings consistent with a ruptured aorta is presented. At surgery, a mediastinal hematoma was found. Diagnostic and therapeutic implications are discussed.