title: Foreign body aspiration in children: diagnostic and therapeutic role of bronchoscopy.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Assessment of bronchoscopy usefulness for diagnosis and treatment in children suspected of foreign body aspiration.
  
  
  METHODS
  There were 27 boys and 18 girls in the age from 15 month to 14 years (average 5.5 years). Rigid bronchoscopy was performed under general anaesthesia. Assessment of the respiratory tract was done and in cases with foreign body bronchoscopic evacuation was executed. Medical records and video recordings of bronchoscopy procedures were subjected to retrospective analysis.
  
  
  RESULTS
  In 28 children (62.2%) during bronchoscopy, foreign body aspiration recognized in 17 (37.8%) bronchoscopy cases was negative. In 27 patients, foreign bodies were removed. In one child, foreign body was evacuated during second bronchoscopy after preparing proper instrumentation. There were no complications in post-bronchoscopic period. Operating time was from 5 to 90 min, average time was noted to be 24 min. Average time of hospital stay was 2-3 days.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Aspiration of foreign body should be suspected in all cases of bronchopulmonary infection with atypical course. Bronchoscopy is the best diagnostic and therapeutic method in all suspicions of foreign body. In children rigid bronchoscopy is still the method of choice.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatric Surgery in Zabrze, Medical University of Silesia, Katowice, ul. 3 Maja 13-15, 41-800, Zabrze, Poland. woko@plusnet.pl
authors.forename: Wojciech
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Korlacki
authors.forename: Klaudia
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Korecka
authors.forename: Józef
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Dzielicki
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D001980:Bronchi; D001999:Bronchoscopy / Q000379:methods*; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D003937:Diagnosis, Differential; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D005547:Foreign Bodies / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000601:surgery; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D001239:Inhalation; D008297:Male; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D012189:Retrospective Studies