Fluoroscopic Foley Catheter Removal of Esophageal Foreign Bodies in Children: Experience with 415 Episodes

Objective: This study sought to investigate the safety and efficacy of the fluoroscopic Foley catheter technique (FFCT) for removal of esophageal foreign bodies (EEBs) in children, and to identify factors associated with decreased success.

Design/setting/patients: An 11-year retrospective review of all pediatric patients undergoing the FFCT for removal of EFBs at a tertiary-care children's hospital was performed.

Results: Four-hundred and fifteen cases are reported. The median age was 29 months (range, 4 to 193); children < or = 24 months accounted for 45% (185) of the cases. Of all episodes 86% (355) involved children without known esophageal pathology. Coins comprised 76% (316) of the EFBs. The FFCT was successful in 91% (378) of the cases. In the 60 episodes involving children with underlying esophageal pathology, the technique had an 83% success rate compared to 92% in children without known pathology (P < .05). There were 290 patients where the duration of impaction was known. The success rate was 96% if the duration was 3 days or less compared to 50% if the duration was longer (P < .0001). Though the overall success in children < or = 24 months was less than older children (88% vs 94%, P < .05), this effect disappeared when corrected for duration of impaction. Minor complications occurred in 2% of the episodes, and major complications were noted in 1%.

Conclusions: The FFCT appears to be a safe and effective method for removal of EFBs especially in children without underlying esophageal lesions and a duration of impaction < or = 3 days. Major complications are rare.