Accidentally swallowing a coin can be a frightening experience, particularly for children. Determining whether the coin has entered the trachea (windpipe) or the esophagus (food pipe) is crucial for appropriate treatment and preventing potentially severe complications.
- Location:
– Trachea: The windpipe, part of the respiratory system, responsible for carrying air to and from the lungs.
– Esophagus: The food pipe, part of the digestive system, responsible for carrying food from the mouth to the stomach.
- Orientation (on X-rays):
– Trachea: Coins lodged in the trachea typically orient in the sagittal plane, meaning they will appear as thin lines or ellipses on a frontal chest X-ray and rounded on a lateral X-ray view.
– Esophagus: Coins in the esophagus usually orient in the coronal plane, appearing as rounded circles on a frontal chest X-ray and viewed from the side on a lateral X-ray.
- Symptoms:
– Tracheal aspiration: Can be an emergency, with symptoms including coughing, wheezing, shortness of breath, and sometimes cyanosis (bluish skin due to lack of oxygen).
– Esophageal ingestion: May cause discomfort, difficulty swallowing (dysphagia), drooling, vomiting, or a sensation of a foreign body in the throat or chest. Respiratory symptoms like wheezing, stridor or cough can also occur in children if the coin presses on the nearby trachea.
Foreign bodies in both the trachea and esophagus require prompt evaluation and treatment. Delayed diagnosis and removal of a foreign body can lead to serious complications, including infections, pneumonia, and damage to the airway or esophagus. If you suspect a child has swallowed a foreign object, seek medical attention immediately.
Note: While X-rays are useful for identifying metallic objects like coins, they may not reveal objects made of other materials (e.g., plastic, wood), which may require further investigation, such as a bronchoscopy.
How do you know if a coin is in your esophagus or trachea?
Thanks for asking. As you can see here. So you can see that on face on on the lateral. View it looks different on both views. So if you’re looking at the AP. If it’s in the trachea.
How do you know if a coin is stuck in the esophagus?
Thanks for asking. Symptoms of a blocked esophagus are trouble swallowing and throat or chest pain. Your child may gag, vomit, drool, or spit. Also, your child may not want to eat or drink anything.
How is a coin in the esophagus diagnosed?
Great question! In either case, the ingested coins may pass through the esophagus without causing any symptom or present with dysphagia. The classic radiographic finding on an antero-posterior chest radiograph is a radio-opaque disk in the upper esophagus suggestive of a coin [3].
How to differentiate FB in trachea and esophagus?
Thanks for asking. Flat objects like coins, bottle caps, or disc batteries are usually oriented in the coronal plane if lodged in the esophagus and appear round on the frontal (PA) view. However, if they are lodged in the trachea, they orient in the sagittal plane and appear round on the lateral view.