Foreign Body in Throat & Esophagus ||ENT Clinic, Kolazhy, Thrissur

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Foreign body ingestion is a medical emergency requiring expert evaluation and management. At RelentCare ENT Clinic, our skilled team, including Dr. Salison Salim Panicker (ENT & Airway Specialist), Dr. Vidya Ramdas (ENT & Vertigo Specialist), and Dr. Aiswarya Thambi (Pulmonologist & Allergy Specialist), provides advanced diagnostic tools and minimally invasive procedures to remove foreign bodies from the throat and esophagus safely.

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Common Foreign Bodies in the Throat & Esophagus

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• Coins (most common in children)

• Fish bones & chicken bones

• Button batteries (highly dangerous)

• Sharp objects (needles, glass pieces, safety pins)

• Food bolus (especially in elderly patients or those with swallowing disorders.

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​Symptoms of a Foreign Body in the Throat or Esophagus

 

📌 Lodged in the Throat (Oropharynx or Larynx)

🔴 Choking, coughing, difficulty swallowing
🔴 Severe throat pain, drooling
🔴 Voice changes, hoarseness
🔴 Difficulty breathing (if airway obstruction occurs)

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📌 Lodged in the Esophagus

🟠 Pain or discomfort in the chest
🟠 Sensation of something stuck in the throat
🟠 Difficulty swallowing (dysphagia)
🟠 Excessive drooling & refusal to eat (in children)

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🚨 Immediate intervention is required if there is airway compromise or ingestion of sharp or toxic objects.

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Diagnosis & Investigations

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🔹 Thorough ENT examination
🔹 X-ray (for radio-opaque objects like coins, batteries)
🔹 CT Scan (for fish bones, plastic, or other radiolucent objects)
🔹 Flexible Endoscopy for direct visualization

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Treatment & Foreign Body Removal Methods

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1. Rigid Endoscopy (Gold Standard for Esophageal Foreign Bodies)

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🔹 Procedure: Under general anesthesia, a rigid endoscope is inserted to visualize and remove the foreign body.
🔹 Best for: Coins, fish bones, sharp objects, large food boluses.
🔹 Advantages: Safe, direct visualization, high success rate.

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2. Flexible Endoscopy (Minimally Invasive Option)

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🔹 Procedure: A flexible endoscope is passed through the mouth to extract the object.
🔹 Best for: Soft foreign bodies, small objects.
🔹 Advantages: Less invasive, performed under mild sedation.

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3. Magill Forceps Removal (For Oropharyngeal Foreign Bodies)

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🔹 Procedure: Under local or general anesthesia, objects lodged in the throat are removed using Magill forceps.
🔹 Best for: Visible fish bones, chicken bones, small objects in the throat.

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4. Tracheostomy (Emergency Airway Management for Severe Cases)

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🔹 Procedure: A life-saving surgical procedure where an incision is made in the trachea to establish an airway.

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🔹 Indications:

✅ Severe airway obstruction from a foreign body
✅ Failed endoscopic removal with airway compromise
✅ Large food bolus leading to complete obstruction

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Emergency & Post-Removal Care

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✔ Immediate stabilization for airway protection
✔ IV fluids and antibiotics if necessary
✔ Observation for complications such as bleeding or esophageal injury
✔ Dietary modifications & swallowing assessment if recurrent episodes occur