Nasal foreign bodies in children in a pediatric hospital in Senegal: A three-year assessment.

OBJECTIVES: Nasal foreign bodies (NFB) constitute a common domestic accident in children. The objectives of the present study were to report the particularities of NFBs in children presenting at a pediatric hospital in Senegal, and to describe our therapeutic attitude.

MATERIAL AND METHODS: A retrospective descriptive study included all under-15 year-olds presenting with NFB in the ENT department of the National Children's Hospital Center of Diamniadio, Senegal, between January 1, 2013 and December 31, 2015. Study variables comprised: age, gender, provenance, presenting symptoms, time to consultation, type of NFB, extraction method, and complications.

RESULTS: 58 NFB cases were retrieved. Mean age was 3years 4months; 93% of patients were under 5 years old. There was female predominance of 53.45%: i.e., sex-ratio, 0.87. Location was in the right cavity in 43 patients (74.1%). The presenting symptom was purulent rhinorrhea in 51.7% of cases. Time to consultation was within 24hours in 17.24% of cases. NFB type was firstly foam rubber (29.3%), followed by grain (20.7%). Extraction was performed in consultation in 84.5% of cases and in the operating room in 15.5%. Morbidity was 22.41%: 17.24% epistaxis and 5.17% nasal infection.

CONCLUSION: NFBs constitute a common domestic accident in under-5 year-olds. The rural Senegalese context shows delay in consultation.