The Role of Bronchoscopy in Childhood Foreign Body Aspirations: A 3-year Experience

Abstract

Introduction:The purpose of our retrospective study was to define the clinical and radiological features of patients with aspirated foreign bodies, characterize the incidence of foreign body aspiration (FBA) and to compare the results of early and late bronchoscopy.Methods:We reviewed the medical records of patients who were admitted to the pediatric emergency department of our center due to FBA between 2016 and 2018.Results:Forty-four patients (M/F 30/14) aged 38.7±44.1 months (mean ± standard deviation, range: 5-191) were enrolled in this study. The most common symptoms were cough (42/44) and wheezing (20/44). No foreign body was detected in eight patients (18%). Regarding the types of foreign bodies, an organic material was observed in 27 (61.4%) patients with FBA, and a nonorganic material was observed in 9 (20.5%) patients. The mean age of patients with organic FBA was significantly lower than that of patients with non-organic FBA (26±18 vs. 93±67 months, p=0.005).Conclusion:Bronchoscopy is an efficient diagnostic tool for patients with suspected FBA because it is associated with low complication risk and reduces the risks of delayed FBA diagnosis and treatment.

Keywords

• Foreign body aspiration
• bronchoscopy
• child