CT Evaluation of Swallowed Foreign Bodies Located in the Gastrointestinal System

Background and objective CT imaging is important in detecting the location and the structure of swallowed foreign bodies and assessing their complications, due to its features such as the ability to show the detailed anatomical structure and enable multiplanar examination. In this study, we aimed to analyze the CT findings of swallowed foreign bodies located in the gastrointestinal tract and compare them with the data in the existing literature. Materials and methods We conducted a retrospective archive study to achieve our goals. Patients who presented to our radiology department with the preliminary diagnosis of foreign body ingestion, abdominal pain, or acute abdomen and were found to have a foreign body in the gastrointestinal tract on CT between April 2018 and April 2021, especially those in whom the presence of a foreign body was confirmed by endoscopy or surgery, were included in our study. The patients were evaluated in terms of age, gender, foreign body type, foreign body localization, and complications. Results A total of 31 patients (15 males and 16 females) were included in the study. The patients’ age ranged from 1 to 67 years, and the mean age was 28.5 ±5.4 years. The most common foreign bodies found were metallic toy parts (n=11, 35%), and most of the foreign bodies were located in the ileum (n=9, 29%) of the patients. Complications were observed in nine patients (29%). In patients with complications, the most common finding was perforation (n=3, 38%). Conclusion When a CT exam is performed on patients with abdominal pain, the gastrointestinal tract should be carefully evaluated to determine if a foreign body is involved and to analyze the complications caused by the foreign body.