Diagnosis of button battery ingestion by ‘halo’ radiographic sign: an exception to the rule

Abstract

A previously well 3-year-old child presented with retrosternal pain and dysphagia. She reported swallowing a round metal object, which was presumed to be a coin. Physical examination and vital signs were unremarkable. This was further investigated with an anteroposterior (AP) chest X-ray, which demonstrated a circular radiopaque foreign body in the distal oesophagus (figure 1). As she was stable, a conservative approach was adopted to see if the foreign body would spontaneously pass through the gastrointestinal tract. Figure 1 Anteroposterior chest X-ray demonstrating a circular foreign body in the distal oesophagus with presumed ‘halo’ sign. …