Peer Reviewed

Radiology Quiz

What Did This 5-Year-Old Girl Ingest?

David S. Bullard, MD, MEd
Volume 63 - Issue 6 - June 2023

  • AFFILIATIONS:
    Department of Emergency Medicine, Case Western Reserve University at MetroHealth Medical Center, Cleveland, Ohio

    CITATION:
    Bullard DS. What did this 5-year-old girl ingest? Consultant.2023;63(6):e3. doi:10.25270/con.2023.01.000002

    Received November 21, 2022. Accepted January 4, 2023. Published online January 4, 2023.

    DISCLOSURES:
    The author reports no relevant financial relationships.

    CORRESPONDENCE:
    David S. Bullard, MD, MEd, MetroHealth Medical Center, Department of Emergency Medicine, 2500 MetroHealth Drive, Cleveland, OH 44109 (dbullard@metrohealth.org)

    A healthy 5-year-old girl presented to the emergency department (ED) with her mother. The child stated that she swallowed something metal earlier that day.

    Physical examination. The patient had no stridor or wheezing and had been eating and drinking without difficulty. She denied any abdominal pain or vomiting. Her vital signs were: BP 92/61, P 82, R 20, and T 97.7°F. The child was cooperative during the exam and without abdominal tenderness.

    Diagnostic testing. The patient underwent an abdominal x-ray (Figure 1).

    Figure 1. Abdominal x-ray

    Answer and discussion on next page.