Adult esophageal foreign body and food impaction: a video-based guide to endoscopic and nonendoscopic management.

Esophageal foreign body (FB) ingestion and food impaction represent critical and increasingly common emergencies in adult populations, often requiring prompt diagnosis and intervention to prevent severe adverse events. This review explores the epidemiology, risk factors, and clinical management of esophageal FB and food bolus impactions, with an emphasis on endoscopic retrieval strategies. Although conservative and pharmacologic treatments, including glucagon, effervescent agents, and muscle relaxants, are occasionally used, they exhibit limited efficacy and should not delay endoscopic intervention. Flexible endoscopy remains the reference standard for diagnosis and treatment. We also discuss the use of various endoscopic tools and adjunctive devices, as well as esophageal dilation techniques for the management of esophageal impaction and underlying pathologies. This review aims to guide clinicians in approaching cases with esophageal impaction and in selecting the most effective and safest endoscopic approaches for managing adult esophageal impactions. A supplementary video demonstrates key retrieval tools in a simulated setting.