Small bowel complication caused by magnetic foreign body ingestion of children: two case reports

Abstract

Accidental ingestion of foreign bodies is a common pediatric problem. The majority of such cases occur between 6 months and 3 years. When several magnets are ingested, they can be attracted to each other through the intestinal wall, causing necrosis and intestinal perforation or fistula, so they should be removed while they are still in the stomach. The authors experienced 2 cases of unusual small bowel complication caused by the ingestion of magnets. The first case was in a 10-month-old boy with ileal perforation caused by to 2 ingested magnetic beads, and the second case was in a 22-month-old boy with ileo-ileal fistula caused by to 7 ingested magnetic beads.