Pharyngeal obstructive foreign bodies: study of 34 cases

Introduction: Obstructive foreign bodies of the pharynx are a relatively rare but dangerous emergency in ENT practice. Objective: To investigate cases of pharyngeal obstructive foreign bodies in the ENT by studying its epidemiological, diagnostic and therapeutic aspects. Method: a cross-sectional prospective study of 6 years from January 2015 to December 2020 was carried out in the ENT and cervico-facial surgery department. Results: we recorded 34 cases of pharyngeal obstruction by foreign bodies. The patients were aged 3 months to 39 years and the sex ratio was 1.83. The age group ranged between 3 month and 3 years was the most represented with 47.06% cases. The respiratory distress (52.94%) and dysphagia (70.59%) were the main cause of consultation in the ENT. Most Foreign bodies were toys and bottle caps in respectively 52.93% and 29.41% cases. The topography was predominantly hypopharyngeal (82.35%). The extraction was endoscopic (64.70%) and chairside (35.29%), with a favorable outcome in 97.06% of cases. Conclusion: pharyngeal obstructive foreign bodies constitutes an absolute ENT emergency, the prevention of which is based on rigorous surveillance of preschool children.