Peer-reviewed article
Pediatric button battery associated spondylodiscitis after delayed endoscopic removal: A case report and literature review.
Husson C, Sensbach J, Guo G, Brads K, Kolb C et al. ·
Summary
Written by AI, not yet AICS's view · claude-haiku-4-5-20251001This is a medical case report about a single 2-year-old child who ingested a button battery that caused a rare spinal infection (spondylodiscitis) due to delayed removal. The report describes the clinical presentation, diagnosis through imaging, and treatment with antibiotics. While it involves a child, the document is primarily a clinical case study focused on medical diagnosis and treatment rather than child well-being, health outcomes, or evidence about interventions.
Key points
- Spondylodiscitis is a rare complication of button battery ingestion with only 12 previously reported cases
- Delayed button battery removal (5 months in this case) is associated with this serious complication
- A posteriorly oriented battery anode on radiographs may indicate higher risk
- The child had no neurological symptoms, suggesting absence of symptoms cannot exclude the condition
- MRI of the cervical and thoracic spine is recommended as the imaging study of choice for diagnosis
Limitations
This is a single case report with no comparison group or control data, so it cannot establish causation or prevalence beyond anecdotal evidence. The report does not evaluate an intervention's effectiveness or measure population-level health outcomes.
Abstract
Spondylodiscitis is a rare complication of pediatric button battery (BB) ingestion with 12 reported cases. Delayed BB removal tends to be the underlying scenario. A posteriorly oriented BB anode on radiographs may also be a pattern seen in these cases. We report the case of a 2-year-old male with chronic intermittent upper respiratory symptoms, initially managed expectantly, without imaging. The child had no neurological symptoms or neck pain. Five months after symptom onset, radiographs unexpectedly revealed an esophageal BB with a posteriorly oriented anode. Emergent endoscopic removal was performed, and multiple BB-related complications were identified. CT and MRI demonstrated T2-T4 spondylodiscitis with chronic osseous bridging. The child was treated with IV antibiotics and was without related clinical sequelae 1 year later. While rare, spondylodiscitis should be sought out in cases of delayed BB removal. Since the absence of neurologic symptoms may not reliably exclude spondylodiscitis, the diagnosis heavily relies upon imaging. CT and MRI both play key roles, but MRI of the cervical and thoracic spine is the study of choice. Radiologists can play a key role in early diagnosis by being familiar with this unique entity.