Multiple foreign bodies in the gastrointestinal tract of a 13-year-old child

Introduction. Foreign bodies in the gastrointestinal tract are various objects of organic and inorganic origin, which are swallowed - not as food - either accidentally or intentionally. The article describes a clinical case of a 13-year-old child with multiple foreign bodies in his gastrointestinal tract which could cause serious complications, such as: perforation of hollow organs, peritonitis, intestinal obstruction, internal bleeding. By statistics, every fourth patient of the conscious age with foreign bodies in the gastrointestinal tract can potentially have problems in the neuropsychic sphere.

Material and methods. A 13-year-old boy was admitted to the Clinical and Research Institute of Emergency Pediatric Surgery and Trauma (CRIEPST) with nausea, repeated vomiting after each meal and water drinking. The careful anamnesis revealed that before the boy’s state deteriorated, he had swallowed a large number of magnets and metal objects within a short period of time. X-rays examination found multiple foreign bodies in his gastrointestinal tract. They were removed during esophagogastroduodenoscopy (EGDS) and surgical intervention.

Results. The plain-film X-ray examination of the abdomen in the projection of the stomach revealed a radiopaque group of foreign bodies of a rounded shape as a conglomerate. At FEGDS, 54 objects were removed: 4 metal balls up to 0.5 cm in diameter, 47 round magnets up to 1.5 cm in diameter, a metal chain and two screws. During laparotomy and gastrotomy 99 foreign bodies were removed: 82 magnet balls 0.5 cm in size, 16 metal balls 1.5 cm in size, 1 bolt. The postoperative period was uneventful. The child was discharged on the 12 th day after surgery in the satisfactory state.

Conclusion. Due to timely diagnostics and proper curative tactics, multiple foreign bodies were revealed and removed from the child’s stomach endoscopically and surgically within a short period of time. A correctly chosen curative tactics resulted in a complete recovery of the patient without complications on the 12th hospitalization day.