title: The complimentary role of diagnostic and therapeutic endoscopy in foreign body aspiration in children.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To review the importance and benefits of flexible bronchoscopy and rigid bronchoscopy in airway foreign body inhalation in children. Prompt diagnosis will lead to safer outcomes when both types of endoscopy are employed within the operating room setting.
  
  
  METHODS
  Retrospective review of all cases of foreign body inhalation seen and treated in our Department between July 1986 and December 2010.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Three-hundred and ten children were admitted to our Department from Pediatric Emergency Room for a suspected foreign body inhalation. All patients with suspected FB inhalation underwent bronchoscopy. Of 310 evaluations of tracheobronchial tree performed at our Department, 104 were negative, while an airway FB were observed and removed in 206 cases.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Rigid bronchoscopy under general anesthesia is an extremely accurate surgical technique to identify, localize and remove airway foreign body. In our experience, flexible bronchoscopy under total intravenous sedation and topical anesthesia is very useful in doubtful cases to absolutely exclude the presence of foreign body in upper airway tracheobronchial tree.
authors.affiliation: Department of Endoscopic Airways Surgery, Azienda Ospedaliera di Padova, Via Giustiniani 1, Padova, Italy. cutronecesare@hotmail.com
authors.forename: Cesare
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Cutrone
authors.forename: Barbara
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Pedruzzi
authors.forename: Giulia
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Tava
authors.forename: Enzo
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Emanuelli
authors.forename: Umberto
authors.initials: U
authors.lastname: Barion
authors.forename: Daniele
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Fischetto
authors.forename: Marianna
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Sari
authors.forename: Surendra
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Narne
authors.forename: Nicola
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Zadra
authors.forename: Alessandro
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Martini
mesh_terms: D001999:Bronchoscopy / Q000379:methods*; D002648:Child; D005547:Foreign Bodies / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000628:therapy*; D006801:Humans; D053120:Respiratory Aspiration / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000628:therapy*