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Nasal foreign bodies in children are common complaints encountered by pediatric otolaryngologists. We investigated clinical features, diagnosis, and treatment of nasal foreign bodies in children in a Chinese metro area. Six hundred sixty eight children with nasal foreign bodies presented to Shenzhen Children's Hospital, diagnosed and treated by the authors were enrolled from January 2016 to October 2019, causes for medical consultation, age, sex, duration, types, locations, removal, and complications were recorded and analyzed. Nasal foreign bodies were common in children between 1 and 5 years of ages (96.8%). The right nasal cavity (61.4%) was the most common site for foreign body insertion (61.4%). Most of the children (89.4%) presented for a complaint of nasal discomfort or foreign body insertion themselves, or for foreign body impaction discovered by the caregivers. Most of the foreign bodies (85.0%) were discovered within 1 day. The most nasal foreign bodies were the whole toys and toy parts (34.1%). The majority of nasal foreign bodies (99.1%) located in the antero-inferior portion of the nasal cavities and could be removed with simple instruments. The occurrence of complications in nasal foreign bodies (10.2%) was not common. The present study objectively exhibited clinical features, diagnosis, and treatment of nasal foreign bodies in a Chinese metro area.

Rationale: Pharyngeal foreign bodies are a common complaint in emergent cases, and sometimes can be lethal. A large variety of foreign bodies may lodge in the pharynx. We present a case of uncommon foreign body in the hypopharynx. Patient concerns: A 9-month-old boy presented for an hour of crying associated with having congee. No abnormality was revealed in physical examination or cervicothoracic computed tomography (CT) scan. Flexible laryngoscopy showed a size tag on the posterior hypopharyngeal wall. Diagnoses: Foreign body in the hypopharynx. Interventions: The foreign body was removed from the hypopharynx. Outcomes: The patient was discharged after the removal of the foreign body. Lessons: Infants with foreign bodies in the hypopharynx may presented with no obvious clinical manifestation. Pharyngeal foreign bodies may be the potential for disastrous consequences. Otolaryngologists should pay attention to these foreign bodies.

Young children with olfactory disturbance are sometimes encountered in ENT clinics. We investigated the clinical applicability of olfactory testing to the pediatric population in China. One hundred and ninety-three healthy children aged 6 to 17 years were enrolled. All participants were asked for demographic information (age, sex, body mass index [BMI], and rating of olfactory function) in a structured questionnaire and underwent olfactory testing including T&T Olfactometer (T&T), odor discrimination (OD), and odor identification (OI) tests of Sniffin’ Sticks.Age had a significant influence on the outcome of olfactory testing, sex, BMI, or self-rating had no influence. Children had better performance on T&T than OI and OD tests of Sniffin’ Sticks. T&T and Sniffin’ Sticks can be completed by Chinese children. Performance on olfactory tests increased with increasing age. T&T may be more suitable to assess olfactory function in the Chinese pediatric population.

It was aimed to report 5 cases of pharyngeal hairy polyps, and to summarize the characteristics combined with literature review. Five cases with pathological diagnosis of pharyngeal hair polyps were diagnosed and treated in our department from June, 2006 to October, 2016, and retrospective analysis of their clinical data was performed. Among the 5 cases, there were 1 male and 4 female, with the age of 2 days to 26 months old. After birth, these patients were accompanied by stridor, difficulty breathing, snoring, feeding difficulties, and slow weight gain. Gray mass in the stem original from the pharynx was found in all 5 cases, with the surface hair-covering. The polyp resections were performed under general anesthesia, with the complete removal of polyp along the pars basilaris during surgery smoothly. The operation during was 5 to 20 minute, with an average of 12 minute, and there was little hemorrhage during operation. Symptoms disappeared completely after the surgery, and follow-up was performed for 1 year without recurrence shown. Pharyngeal hairy polyp is a rare non-malignant clinical disease, mainly caused by symptoms in respiratory tract obstruction. Complete removal of polyps along the pars basilaris is an effective treatment, with no recurrence case reported after surgery.

Rationale:Malignant peripheral nerve sheath tumors (MPNSTs) are rare neoplasms with only a few reported cases affecting the nasal cavity, paranasal sinuses, and anterior skull base.Patient concerns:A 12-year-old girl with a mass in her nose was admitted to the Department of Otorhinolaryngolo