Clinical Experiences of Removing Foreign Bodies in the Airway and Esophagus with a Rigid Endoscope: A Series of 3217 Cases from 1970 to 1996

This study examined 11,333 rigid endoscopy procedures performed in the Department of Otolaryngology, National Taiwan University Hospital, during a 27-year period from 1970 to 1996. Among these cases, 3217 were performed to remove foreign bodies from the airway (459 cases, 14.3%) and esophagus (2758 cases, 85.7%). Retrospective analysis of these data revealed that peanuts (217 cases) and animal bones (1184 cases) were the most frequent foreign bodies encountered in the airway and esophagus, respectively. The successful rate of removal of these foreign bodies was 99.9% (3213/3217). The complication rate was only 0.2% (8/3217), and the mortality rate was less than 0.1% (2/3217). On the basis of these results, we conclude that foreign bodies in the airway and esophagus can be removed safely under direct visualization through rigid endoscopy with relatively few complications. A significant finding in this study is the declining trend in the number of cases in recent years. Despite the decline in the number of procedures, endoscopic removal of foreign bodies remains as a vital skill of the aerodigestive tract surgeon.