Nasal foreign bodies

Report By: Jon Argall - Senior Clinical Fellow
Institution: Manchester Royal Infirmary
Date Submitted: 15th October 2002
Last Modified: 15th October 2002
Status: Blue (submitted but not checked)

Three Part Question

In [children with nasal foreign bodies] which [method of removal] is [best]?

Clinical Scenario

A four year old girl presents to the emergency department having pushed a bead up her right nostril. The foreign body is easily visible in the nasopharynx. You wonder which method of removal is most likely to meet with success.

Search Strategy

Medline 1966-09/02 using the OVID interface.
[exp Foreign bodies OR foreign body.mp] AND [exp Nose OR nose.mp] AND [(removal.mp OR retrieval.mp)]

Search Outcome

81 papers were found, none of which directly answered the question. There are several review articles discussing the different techniques but no comparisons are drawn.

Comment(s)

There is no evidence for choosing any particular method over another and many different techniques are applicable.

Clinical Bottom Line

No work has been done on comparing the different techniques to determine success. It is therefore advised that cases are treated individually.