title: Foreign bodies aspirated in children: role of bronchoscopy.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To examine the diagnostic and therapeutic role of fiber-optic and rigid bronchoscopy in pediatric patients with foreign body inhalations.
  
  
  METHODS
  From January 1986 to December 2004, we observed 128 young patients with suspicion of foreign body aspiration. Patients were divided into 3 groups: group I, patients with negative chest X-ray; group II, patients with radiological direct signs; group III, patients with radiological indirect signs.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Removal of the foreign body was effected in 105 patients by rigid bronchoscopy and in 13 patients by fiber-optic bronchoscopy. In 3 group II patients a thoracotomy with a bronchotomy was necessary.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Fiber-optic bronchoscopy showed a diagnostic accuracy rate of 100 % but played a poor therapeutic role with a case resolution of 10.7 %. Rigid bronchoscopy was the main technique, permitting the removal of the tracheobronchial foreign body in 97.2 % of patients.
authors.affiliation: Thoracic Surgery, G. Mazzini Hospital of Teramo, University of L'Aquila, Teramo, Italy. duilio@virgilio.it
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Divisi
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Di Tommaso
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Garramone
authors.forename: W
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Di Francescantonio
authors.forename: R M
authors.initials: RM
authors.lastname: Crisci
authors.forename: A M
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: Costa
authors.forename: G L
authors.initials: GL
authors.lastname: Gravina
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Crisci
mesh_terms: D001980:Bronchi; D020680:Bronchoscopes; D001999:Bronchoscopy; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D004867:Equipment Design; D005260:Female; D005547:Foreign Bodies / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000628:therapy*; D006801:Humans; D001239:Inhalation; D008297:Male; D013902:Radiography, Thoracic; D014132:Trachea