Les corps etrangers du meat acoustique externe chez l’enfant au chu de Lome

Abstract

Title: Foreign bodies of the external acoustic meatus with the child at the Tokoin Univerty Hospital Center of LomeIntroduction: Foreign bodies(Fb) of external acoustic meatus (EAM) are frequent among children. Our objective is to assess the taking charge of these foreign bodies in the ENT department of the TokoinUniversity Hospital Center of Lome.Methodology: Retrospective study concerning 206 children’s files consulted and treated from January 2001 to December 2005 of the EAM.Results: Foreign bodies accounted for 3.43% of ENT consultations among children. The female sex was prevalent with a 0.77 sex ratio. Our patients’ ages varied from 5 months to 15 years. 74.28% werebetween 2 and 6 years old. The right ear was the most concerned with 57.77% of cases. In 38.39% of cases, the discovery of foreign was casual. The frequently foreign bodies encountered were : grain ofmaize, fine gravels and bits of chalk. Their taking out was achieved by washing in 64.11% of cases. Among 11 patients, their taking out wasachieved under general anaesthesia. Two cases of tympanic perforation and two cases of the EAM stenosis were noticed.Conclusion: The foreign bodies of EAM are frequent with children in Lome. Foreign bodies are unrecognized. It very often concerns grains of maize, fine gravels found in the child’s surrounding. Theablation is often carried out by washing. Complications are rare. The eviction of foreign bodies must happen through the watching of childre