Clinical characteristics of tracheobronchomalacia complicated with pulmonary infection in children and the significance of electronic fiberoptic bronchoscopy in diagnosis and treatment

Abstract

Objective To analyze the clinical features of children with tracheobronchomalacia （TBM） complicated with pulmonary infection，and to explore the significance of fiberoptic bronchoscopy in the diagnosis and treatment of this disease. Methods Clinical data of 236 children admitted to our hospital due to recurrent pulmonary infection were collected. Among them， 37 children were diagnosed with TBM by fiberoptic bronchoscopy. Clinical features of TBM and fiberoptic bronchoscopy results were analyzed. The differences between TBM and non-TBM children were statistically compared. Results The proportion of TBM children aged<1 year was high （30/37）. The average age of TBM children was significantly younger than that of non-TBM counterparts， and the average length of hospital stay of TBM children was significantly longer than that of non-TBM counterparts， and the differences were statistically significant （both P < 0.05）. The main manifestations of TBM and non-TBM children were cough， wheezing and recurrent respiratory tract infection， and there were no statistical differences in the male-to-female ratio （all P > 0.05）. Fiberoptic bronchoscopy found mild and moderate TBM at a single site in TBM children， and favorable outcomes were obtained. Conclusion TBM is one of the important factors of recurrent pulmonary infection and wheezing in young children. It is challenging to identify the symptoms of TBM. Bronchoscopy is beneficial to timely diagnosis and treatment.

Keywords

• children|tracheobronchomalacia|bronchoscopy|pulmonary infection