title: A method for bronchoscopic evaluation of salivary aspiration in a disabled child.
abstract: Chronic aspiration is a cause of life-threatening respiratory complications and repeated hospital admissions, particularly in children with neurological disabilities. Determining the source of aspiration is important for optimizing treatment. This report describes a simple technique to demonstrate salivary aspiration during fibreoptic bronchoscopy. A child with a history of recurrent pneumonia was given methylene blue orally 2 h prior to fibreoptic bronchoscopy. Bronchoscopy was carried out through a laryngeal mask airway under inhalational anaesthesia. The stained saliva was seen to be pooling in the valleculae and then running down the trachea into the bronchi, confirming salivary aspiration.
authors.affiliation: Dept of Paediatric Respiratory Medicine, Bristol Royal Hospital for Sick Children, UK.
authors.forename: N J
authors.initials: NJ
authors.lastname: Zurick
authors.forename: A J
authors.initials: AJ
authors.lastname: Henderson
authors.forename: S C
authors.initials: SC
authors.lastname: Langton-Hewer
mesh_terms: D001999:Bronchoscopy; D019988:Children with Disabilities; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D008751:Methylene Blue; D011015:Pneumonia, Aspiration / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000209:etiology*; D012463:Saliva
chemical_list: D008751:Methylene Blue