[Bronchoscopic findings in children with prolonged respiratory symptoms].
OBJECTIVE
This retrospective study aims to establish an algorithm indicating a bronchoscopy, based on clinical and radiological criteria predictive of the presence of a foreign body (FB), in children with prolonged respiratory symptoms and no history of foreign body aspiration (FBA); to establish a study of these criteria and to compare the clinical, radiological and broncoscopic findings in such cases.


METHODS
We chose to review the records of 73 children (age < or = 15 years) with prolonged respiratory symptoms (for at least 15 days) and no history of FBA who underwent bronchoscopy at our institution between 1996 and 2005.


RESULTS
The mean age was 3 years and 2 months, the majority of the patients were between 1 and 3 years of age (56%), 59% of the patients were boys and the mean of evolution of symptoms before the broncoscopy was 3 months and 3 weeks. We found a foreign body (FB) in 17 cases (23.2%). The FBs were in 88.2% of the cases of vegetable origin. A granulation tissue was associated in 47% of positive bronchoscopies. There were no complications related to bronchoscopy. The clinical and the radiological findings were no specific of FBs.


CONCLUSIONS
Bronchoscopy must be indicated in suspected cases of FBA to prevent delayed diagnosis and pulmonary sequelae. The clinical and radiological findings may help the clinician to indicate it.
Krifa
N
N
Hópital Farhat Hached, Service d'ORL et de Chirurgie Cervico-Faciale, Sousse, Tunisie. krifanesrine@yahoo.fr
Belcadhi
M
M
Mani
R
R
Abdelkefi
M
M
Bouzouita
K
K
D000293:Adolescent; D001980:Bronchi; D001999:Bronchoscopy; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D003937:Diagnosis, Differential; D042241:Early Diagnosis; D005260:Female; D005547:Foreign Bodies / Q000150:complications* / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000601:surgery; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D008297:Male; D008487:Medical History Taking; D010808:Physical Examination; D011015:Pneumonia, Aspiration / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000209:etiology* / Q000601:surgery; D011237:Predictive Value of Tests; D012135:Respiratory Sounds / Q000209:etiology*; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012307:Risk Factors; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D013997:Time Factors; D016896:Treatment Outcome