Lower airway anomalies in infants with laryngomalacia.
OBJECTIVE
To study the prevalence of associated airway anomalies in infants presenting with moderate to severe laryngomalacia.


METHODS
Eighty three (83) symptomatic infants with recurrent respiratory symptoms including wheeze and cough diagnosed as moderate to severe laryngomalacia based on their clinical and direct laryngoscopic findings were subjected to fiberoptic bronchoscopy (FOB) during the period March 2007 to February 2009 in the Department of Pulmonology, Institute of Child Health and Hospital for Children, Chennai, India. Analysis of the clinical features, radiological findings and associated lower airway anomalies by FOB was done.


RESULTS
Lower airway anomalies were demonstrated in 40 (48%) infants of the study population. Tracheomalacia was the most common lower airway anomaly 24 (29%) followed by bronchomalacia 8(10%) and tracheobronchomalacia 6 (7%). (4:1:1).


CONCLUSIONS
Infants with moderate and severe laryngomalacia should be evaluated with flexible fibreoptic bronchoscopy to rule out associated lower airway lesions.
Vijayasekaran
D
D
Department of Pulmonology, Institute of Child Health and Hospital for Children, Chennai, India. Vijsekar@hotmail.com
Gowrishankar
N C
NC
Kalpana
S
S
Vivekanandan
V E
VE
Balakrishnan
M S
MS
Suresh
Saradha
S
D055091:Bronchomalacia / Q000150:complications; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D055092:Laryngomalacia / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000209:etiology*; D008297:Male; D055089:Tracheobronchomalacia / Q000150:complications; D055090:Tracheomalacia / Q000150:complications