title: Tracheobronchial foreign bodies. A persistent problem in pediatric patients.
abstract: Extraction of a foreign body from the tracheobronchial tree was accomplished for 83 children. The mean age was 1 year 9 months for the 27 girls and 3 years 1 month for the 56 boys; 46 children (55%) were younger than 2 years of age. Sixteen (19%) of the foreign bodies were radiopaque, and 35 (42%) were either verified or suspected radiologically before endoscopy. Forty-one foreign bodies (49%) were situated in the right bronchial tree. Extraction was successful in 81 children (98%) and was performed on 50 children (60%) during the first 24 hours. Twenty-five (30%) of the foreign bodies were peanuts. Three children experienced a residual foreign body, without serious complications. We believe that an open tube bronchoscopy should be performed whenever abnormal stridor or cough is observed in a healthy child and when appropriate antibiotic therapy is unsuccessful.
authors.affiliation: Department of Otolaryngology, University Central Hospital, Turku, Finland.
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Puhakka
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Svedström
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Kero
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Valli
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Iisalo
mesh_terms: D001980:Bronchi; D020680:Bronchoscopes; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D005260:Female; D005336:Fiber Optic Technology / Q000295:instrumentation; D005387:Finland; D005547:Foreign Bodies / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000628:therapy; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D008297:Male; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D014132:Trachea