To summarize the clinical features, complications, radiological characteristics, surgical management, and prognosis of magnetic bead ingestion (MBI) in children, and to propose a treatment-modality algorithm.
Approach:
Study Design: A retrospective analysis of 24 pediatric MBI cases treated at the Capital Center for Children's Health from January 2020 to October 2025.
Data Collection: Analysis included demographics, ingestion details, clinical manifestations, laboratory and imaging findings, surgical procedures, intraoperative findings, and postoperative outcomes.
Key Findings:
Cohort comprised 15 boys and 9 girls with a median age of 5.5 years (range, 1 year 1 month to 11 years).
Abdominal pain was the most common symptom (50%), followed by vomiting (37.5%); 41.7% were asymptomatic.
14 children had intestinal perforation; elevated white blood cell count was observed in 8 (57.1%), elevated neutrophil percentage in 8 (57.1%), and elevated C-reactive protein in 6 (42.9%).
Complications included intestinal adhesions (11 cases), perforation (14 cases), obstruction (3 cases), and necrosis (3 cases).
Upright abdominal X-ray was the primary diagnostic modality (70.8%).
75% of children underwent surgery, with various surgical approaches utilized.
Interpretation:
Limitations:
Retrospective nature of the study may limit the generalizability of findings.
