Brief Article
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World J Gastroenterol. Oct 14, 2013; 19(38): 6447-6452
Published online Oct 14, 2013. doi: 10.3748/wjg.v19.i38.6447
Emergency admissions due to swallowed foreign bodies in adults
Bülent Erbil, Mehmet Ali Karaca, Mehmet Ali Aslaner, Zaur İbrahimov, Mehmet Mahir Kunt, Erhan Akpinar, Mehmet Mahir Özmen
Bülent Erbil, Mehmet Ali Karaca, Mehmet Ali Aslaner, Zaur İbrahimov, Mehmet Mahir Kunt, Department of Emergency Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Hacettepe University, 06100 Ankara, Turkey
Erhan Akpinar, Department of Radiology, Faculty of Medicine, Hacettepe University, 06100 Ankara, Turkey
Mehmet Mahir Özmen, Department of General Surgery, Faculty of Medicine, Hacettepe University, 06100 Ankara, Turkey
Author contributions: Erbil B and Karaca MA performed the majority of experiments, designed the study and wrote the manuscript; Aslaner MA, İbrahimov Z and Kunt MM coordinated and provided the collection of all data and material for this work; Akpinar E and Özmen MM provided vital reagents and analytical tools and were also involved in editing the manuscript.
Correspondence to: Bülent Erbil, MD, Department of Emergency Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Hacettepe University, 06100 Ankara, Turkey. berbil@hacettepe.edu.tr
Telephone: +90-312-3052503 Fax: +90-312-3052512
Received: July 25, 2013
Revised: August 31, 2013
Accepted: September 15, 2013
Published online: October 14, 2013
Processing time: 28 Days and 23 Hours
Core Tip

Core tip: The majority of foreign bodies swallowed by patients who present to the emergency departments cannot be detected using standard imaging studies and evaluation. Plain radiography is especially useful in the localization of radiopaque foreign bodies, while fiberoptic methods can be used as both diagnostic and therapeutic tools, regardless of the radiopacity of the foreign body ingested.