Appendiceal foreign body in an infant

RATIONALE FOR THIS CASE REPORT: Many children are hospitalized because of foreign body ingestion. In such circumstances, the gastroenterologist must consider the timing of ingestion; the size, type, and location of the object ingested; and the patient's symptoms. But appendiceal foreign body in infant is very rare. PATIENT CONCERNS: A 12-month-old boy visited because of swallowing small objects 2 weeks ago. Three small beads were found in the right lower quadrant on abdominal radiography. A 7-year-old boy was admitted for treatment of appendiceal foreign body, which was detected by accident 3 months ago. DIAGNOSES, INTERVENTIONS, AND OUTCOMES: A 7-year-old boy had abdominal pain and underwent immediate appendectomy. However, the 12-month-old child was asymptomatic, which led to deliberation in regard to wait time for an appendectomy in younger children with asymptomatic appendiceal foreign body. He underwent prophylactic appendectomy after 2 months. MAIN LESSONS: An appendiceal foreign body is very rare in infant and there are currently no treatment guidelines. We report 2 cases of appendiceal foreign body including infant who gave us difficult decisions.