Foreign Body Removal
People sometimes swallow food or foreign bodies that become stuck in the digestive tract. Usually, the items pass through the digestive tract and are excreted from the body in stool. When a foreign object does not pass from the body on its own, you may need a procedure to remove it.
Endoscopic foreign body removal is a minimally invasive procedure to remove items that have been swallowed and become stuck in the digestive tract. (If an object becomes lodged in the airway and obstructs breathing, emergency medical attention is required.)
A person who swallowed a foreign object may feel that something is stuck in the throat and may have difficulty swallowing. Doctors typically perform an upper endoscopy, also known as an esophagogastroduodenoscopy (EGD), to remove the object.
During the EGD, the doctor examines the lining of the digestive tract, including the esophagus, stomach and upper part of the small intestine, to check for damage.
