'Golden heart' on baby girl's X-ray
The heart shape on a three-year-old girl's esophagus X-ray looks like it was painted on but is actually a pendant.
According toLive Science, this photo was published in the medical journalNew England. Doctors at the University of California (USA) said that a three-year-old girl was brought to the emergency room after swallowing a gold pendant. Therefore, the group of authors named the case "golden heart".
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X-ray image of a three-year-old baby. Photo:NEJM. |
Through X-ray images, the medical team determined that the heart-shaped foreign object was stuck in the child's esophagus. Because the pendant was in one place, doctors used an endoscope to remove it from the girl's body without surgery. The child has now recovered and returned home.
Toddlers tend to put things in their mouths and sometimes swallow them. Potentially dangerous items such as sharp objects and small batteries can tear or burn the esophagus if swallowed. Objects that remain lodged for more than 24 hours also require intervention.
In cases where the swallowed object does not pose an immediate danger, the child may be monitored for a period of time to allow the "foreign object to pass naturally".
