The occasional nasal foreign body

摘要

INTRODUCTION: Patients with intranasal foreign bodies (FBs) are typically young children aged 2—5 years. Less commonly patients may be older children, adolescents, or adults with intellectual disabilities. FBs can be classified as inorganic (beads, marbles, stones, nails, crayons, and small toys) or organic (beans, carrots, seeds, candy, and gum), with the latter usually producing earlier symptoms due to increased irritation of the nasal mucosa. Patients with intranasal FBs generally present in two manners: (1) the caregiver witnesses the insertion of an FB, or the child tells the caregiver of the deed or (2) an FB is suspected after unilateral nasal obstruction, or purulent discharge is Most cases of the intranasal FBs do not require otolaryngology consultation and can be handled by the experienced primary care physician with proper equipment. FBs that are in the posterior nasal cavity, poorly visualized, chronic, impacted with associated severe mucosal inflammation, or those where removal attempts have failed, warrant further referral. Of note, there are two FBs that may cause severe damage and necessitate urgent attention and skilled removal: button batteries and disc magnets. The search for dangerous metallic FBs may be hastened by obtaining X-rays.