Review of Food Bolus Management

Foreign object ingestion and esophageal food bolus impactions are common problems faced by gastroenterologists. Fortunately, the majority of ingested foreign objects and food boluses will pass spontaneously. However, 10% to 20% may become lodged in the esophagus or other locations in the gastrointestinal tract and may require nonoperative intervention, and 1% or less will require surgery (1–4). A recent study (5) reported an estimated annual incidence rate of food impactions of 13 episodes per 100,000 in a health maintenance organization population. The overall mortality rate is unknown, but deaths have been rarely reported (6,7). The purpose of the present review is to focus on esophageal food bolus impaction – its pathophysiology, clinical presentations, diagnosis and management.