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Foreign-object ingestion is a common problem, prompting emergency room visits and gastroenterology consultation. Although most small foreign bodies pass spontaneously through the gastrointestinal tract, larger objects and those with the potential to damage the GI tract require prompt endoscopic or surgical removal.
Endoscopists at a Shanghai hospital recently reviewed their experience with ingested objects during a 25-year period. They identified 1088 patients (age range, 1 day to 96 years) who underwent endoscopy after suspected ingestion of one or more foreign objects. The foreign bodies ranged from small objects, such as jewelry, to large items, such as watches and chopsticks. The most common objects were fish or chicken bones, food bolus…