Foreign Body, Nasal

Basics

Object impacted in the nasal cavity
Most common site of foreign body insertion in children
Type of foreign body limited only by nostril size
May present with history of insertion, however, can be an incidental finding
Usually located at the floor of the inferior turbinate or anterior to the middle turbinate
Often right-sided predominance
Population at risk:
- Children under 5 yr old
- Developmental delay
- Psychiatric illness
Causes of worsening impaction and difficulties with removal:
- Organic material may expand if moistened
- Mucosal swelling can occur over time
Complications:
- Epistaxis
- Nasal vestibulitis
- Mucosal irritation
- Secondary sinusitis
- Septal perforation
- Risk of bronchial aspiration
- Button batteries:
  - Mucosal burns/ulcerations
  - Turbinate or septal damage
  - Stenosis of the nasal cavity
  - Saddle-nose deformity
  - Septal perforation in hours
- Magnets:
  - Used to mimic nasal piercings
  - Embed in nasal tissue, making removal difficult, can cause necrosis
  - May cause intestinal perforation if swallowed, especially newer high-power neodymium magnets
- Super absorbent polymer balls:
  - Expand and become more fragile making removal more difficult with time
  - Digestive obstruction if eaten

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