title: Endoscopy: a must in neonatal respiratory distress.
abstract: Respiratory distress in a newborn presents both diagnostic and therapeutic dilemmas. Definitive treatment must be preceded by an accurate diagnosis other than in extremes. Complete tracheal rings are a very rare congenital cause of airway obstruction. Unlike other causes of upper airway obstruction, this cannot be relieved by tracheostomy, which may be counterproductive. We report the case of an 8-day-old female baby who presented with respiratory distress and was found to have complete tracheal rings and right pulmonary agenesis. The value of tracheo-bronchoscopy in this case cannot be overstressed.
authors.affiliation: Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Aldey Hey Hospital, Royal Liverpool Children's Hospital, Eaton Road, Liverpool, UK. mkaneesh@hotmail.com
authors.forename: M K
authors.initials: MK
authors.lastname: Aneeshkumar
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Osman
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Ghosh
authors.forename: R W
authors.initials: RW
authors.lastname: Clarke
mesh_terms: D000402:Airway Obstruction / Q000151:congenital / Q000209:etiology*; D001999:Bronchoscopy / Q000379:methods*; D017809:Fatal Outcome; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D008168:Lung / Q000002:abnormalities*; D012127:Respiratory Distress Syndrome, Newborn / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000209:etiology; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed; D014132:Trachea / Q000002:abnormalities* / Q000473:pathology