Coin vs battery

Case contributed by Leonardo Lustosa
Diagnosis not applicable
x-ray

Comparison between an ingested coin (left) and an ingested button battery (right) on frontal radiographs.

Coins are usually homogeneous while button batteries have a circular lucency appearing as a double-ring or halo sign.

Case Discussion

Ingestion of foreign bodies is frequent in the pediatric population, with coins being the most commonly ingested objects.

While a coin is mostly harmless, a battery could injure the patient. Thus, it is essential to identify the object correctly. These are very similar, but batteries usually have a slight step-off in profile and a double-ring or halo appearance when viewed across their diameter. Coins are plain and usually homogeneous.

Original cases are rID: 98824 (coin) and rID: 99637 (button battery).

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