Paediatric surgery: button battery ingestion: practice question

A General Surgery question in the style of the NEET PG paper. Answer it first, then read why the right option is right and why each of the others is wrong.

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General Surgery · Paediatric surgery: button battery ingestion

Sample item

A 2-year-old child is brought 1 hour after swallowing a flat 20 mm lithium coin cell battery. Radiograph shows a double-contour disc at the level of the clavicles. He is drooling but breathing comfortably. What is the correct management?

Original practice item, not a recalled exam question. Nothing here is recorded.

The answer and the reasoning

C. Emergency endoscopic removal

A button battery lodged in the oesophagus causes liquefactive necrosis within 2 hours through the current generated across the mucosa, and can lead to perforation, tracheo-oesophageal fistula or aortoesophageal fistula. It is a surgical emergency requiring prompt endoscopic removal. The double-contour or halo sign distinguishes a battery from a coin.

Option by option

  • A. Observation with repeat radiograph after 48 hours

    Waiting allows deep tissue injury, which begins within hours.

  • B. Induced vomiting with syrup of ipecac

    Induced vomiting risks re-exposing the oesophagus and aspiration.

  • C. Emergency endoscopic removal (correct)

    Correct. Urgent removal limits the rapidly progressive electrochemical burn.

  • D. Oral laxatives to speed passage

    Laxatives do nothing for an impacted oesophageal object.

Source note: Original NextPrep sample item — pending expert review. This item is original practice material awaiting independent expert review, so confirm important facts in a standard textbook.

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Questions about this General Surgery question

What is the answer to this General Surgery question?

The best answer is C, Emergency endoscopic removal. A button battery lodged in the oesophagus causes liquefactive necrosis within 2 hours through the current generated across the mucosa, and can lead to perforation, tracheo-oesophageal fistula or aortoesophageal fistula.

Why is "Observation with repeat radiograph after 48 hours" not the answer?

Waiting allows deep tissue injury, which begins within hours.

Why is "Induced vomiting with syrup of ipecac" not the answer?

Induced vomiting risks re-exposing the oesophagus and aspiration.

Why is "Oral laxatives to speed passage" not the answer?

Laxatives do nothing for an impacted oesophageal object.

What concept does this question test?

It tests Paediatric surgery: button battery ingestion in General Surgery. It is a surgical emergency requiring prompt endoscopic removal. The double-contour or halo sign distinguishes a battery from a coin.

How hard is this question?

We tag it as an application question: it asks you to use a fact on a patient or a finding. The tag is our own editorial judgement, not an official difficulty rating, so read the reason for every option, not only the answer.

How should I study Paediatric surgery: button battery ingestion?

Learn classic signs and eponyms alongside what they diagnose. Then use the flashcards and the other General Surgery questions on this site to test what stuck.

Is this a real NEET PG question?

No. It is an original practice item (editorial status: sample, version 1). NextPrep does not publish recalled or leaked questions, and independent faculty review of this item has not been completed yet, so confirm important facts in a standard textbook.