Foreign body aspiration in children and role of flexible bronchoscopy: A 3Â year experience

BackgroundFlexible airway bronchoscopy is an accepted and frequently performed procedure in the evaluation of children with known or suspected airway and lung parenchymal disorders.MethodsBetween 2012 and 2015, retrospective analysis of 134 flexible bronchoscopies was done in Children's Hospital, Cairo University, as regards demographic profile, clinical and radiological presentation and diagnostic indication. The results were analyzed on the basis of bronchoscopy inspection, conclusion and future recommendations.ResultsPatients indicated for flexible bronchoscopy presented clinically with unilateral diminished breath sounds in 24.6%, unilateral bronchial breathing in 17.9%, recurrent lower respiratory tract infection in 11.2%, persistent cough in 4.5% and stridor in 9.7%, others showed radiological findings in the form of unilateral hyperinflation in 9%, bronchiectasis in 3.7% and unilateral wheezes in 1.5%. Out of 134 patients undergoing bronchoscopy, 38% had foreign body (FB) in the airways although only 7.5% of patients had recalled a previous history of FB aspiration (15.6% in the trachea, 52% in the right side and 31.3% in the left side, among those patients 60.8% were males while 39.2% were females), 14.1% had tracheal abnormality, 26.8% had post inflammatory changes, 56.7% had right bronchus abnormality, 55.2% had left bronchus abnormality, bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) was done in 30.6% of patients, FB was successfully removed in 15.6% of patients and further cardiothoracic intervention was needed in 29.8% of patients.ConclusionThe combination of history, physical examination, and chest X-ray findings are crucial when investigating a child with suspected foreign body aspiration. Flexible bronchoscopy is effective for diagnostic and sometimes therapeutic purpose of problems in the upper and lower respiratory airways in children, with a high success rate as it significantly reduces the rate of negative rigid bronchoscopies and ultimately saves the child from undergoing an unnecessary procedure.