Overview on Gastrointestinal Foreign Bodies in Children

Introduction: Greatest percentage of the upper gastro intestinal accidently swallowed foreign bodies in adults are related to food bolus impaction with meat. Most patients who swallow a true foreign body typically are younger, however young children were recorded to accidently swallow other objects rather than food poluses. Males are more often recorded, and often have significant psychiatric illness and/or drug abuse. Foreign body (FB) ingestion is a very common problem in children. FB may pass through gastrointestinal (GI) system silently without any indication, or it may need an intervention to prevent complications. The diagnosis, decision for involvement and management may have some difficulties, and it’s usually decided according to the case, especially in cases with protracted lodgment. Complications caused by lodgment of ingested GI FBs varies according to many factors and are associated with important morbidity and mortality in children. Objectives: to show an overview of gastrointestinal foreign bodies in children, its epidemiology, risk factors, hazards and management.

Post-transplant lymphoproliferative disorder as a cause of oesophageal ulceration and stricture: case report and literature review

Post-transplant lymphoproliferative disorder (PTLD) of the oesophagus is a rare complication of solid organ transplant that requires a high index of suspicion to diagnose. A literature review conducted on Ovid Medline database retrieved 24 articles, among which five previous cases of oesophageal PTLD were identified. Development of oesophageal strictures related to PTLD has not been reported in the literature. We report a case of oesophageal PTLD following lung transplant, presenting with extensive, circumferential ulceration in the oesophagus. PTLD was successfully treated with chemotherapy but subsequently, this patient developed a severe oesophageal stricture at the site of her PTLD. She presented with an episode of food bolus impaction requiring endoscopic retrieval. In the following years, our patient required multiple endoscopic dilatations of this PTLD-related oesophageal stricture.

Recalcitrant Esophageal Stricture Secondary to Mycophenolate Mofetil

Mycophenolate mofetil (MMF) is associated with various gastrointestinal toxicities. However, limited literature studies exist reporting MMF-related gastrointestinal toxicity manifesting as esophageal strictures. We report a case of a 62-year-old male with kidney transplant on MMF, tacrolimus, and prednisone, presenting with progressive dysphagia and odynophagia. Esophagogastroduodenoscopy revealed severe esophageal stricturing with near food bolus impaction, requiring dilations, esophageal stent, and ultimately gastrostomy tube. Biopsies revealed nonspecific inflammation with no evidence of infectious/neoplastic process; thus, our multidisciplinary esophageal group determined that the process was secondary to MMF. This case demonstrates that, though rare, MMF can result in severe esophageal strictures causing significant morbidity.