Radiographs and aluminium: a pitfall for the unwary

Discussion Patients commonly attend accident and emergency departments because they have swallowed a foreign body, but the problems they experience are few as most objects pass through the gastrointestinal tract without incident. 1 Impaction in the oesophagus is, however, serious and may result in p...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:BMJ 1994-05, Vol.308 (6938), p.1226-1226
Main Authors: Bradburn, D M, Carr, H F, Renwick, I
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Aged
Aluminum
Biopsy
Deglutition Disorders - diagnostic imaging
Deglutition Disorders - etiology
Dysphagia
Endoscopy
Esophageal Neoplasms - diagnostic imaging
Esophagus
Foreign Bodies - diagnostic imaging
Humans
Male
Radiography
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Summary:Discussion Patients commonly attend accident and emergency departments because they have swallowed a foreign body, but the problems they experience are few as most objects pass through the gastrointestinal tract without incident. 1 Impaction in the oesophagus is, however, serious and may result in perforation and even death if missed. A delay in diagnosis may result in an abscess, strictures, perforation, or even death, and our case shows that normal results in a chest radiograph cannot be considered adequate to exclude oesophageal impaction of an aluminium foreign body.3,4 Aluminium has a low radiodensity, but this fact was not widely known in a straw poll among our colleagues.
ISSN:0959-8138
1468-5833
DOI:10.1136/bmj.308.6938.1226