title: Association between follicular tracheitis and gastroesophageal reflux.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Follicular tracheitis (also known as tracheal cobblestoning) is an entity that is poorly described and of unclear significance. The objective of this study was to better define follicular tracheitis and determine the association between the clinical finding of follicular tracheitis on bronchoscopy and objective evidence of gastroesophageal reflux disease.
  
  
  METHODS
  Retrospective chart review of children with recurrent croup having undergone a rigid bronchoscopy and an investigation for gastroesophageal reflux between 2001 and 2013.
  
  
  RESULTS
  117 children with recurrent croup children age 6-144 months were included in the study. Follicular tracheitis was noted on 41% of all bronchoscopies. Fifty-nine percent of all children who underwent bronchoscopy were diagnosed with gastroesophageal reflux on at least one investigation. Forty-nine of 117 children underwent a pH probe study, and 51% were found to have evidence of reflux on this study. Nine children were diagnosed with eosinophilic esophagitis. Three patients underwent a biopsy of the follicular tracheitis lesions, which revealed chronic inflammation. There was no evidence of an association between findings of follicular tracheitis and a positive test for gastroesophageal reflux (p=0.52) or a positive pH probe study (p=0.64). There was no association between follicular tracheitis and subglottic stenosis (p=0.33) or an history of asthma and/or atopy (p=0.19).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  In children with recurrent croup, follicular tracheitis remains an unspecific finding associated with an inflammatory disorder of unknown etiology.
authors: Department of Otolaryngology and Pediatric Surgery, McGill University, Montreal, QC, Canada. Electronic address: melanie.duval@mcgill.ca.
authors: Melanie
authors: M
authors: Duval
authors: Division of Otolaryngology, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT, USA.
authors: Jeremy
authors: J
authors: Meier
authors: Division of Pediatric Pulmonology, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT, USA.
authors: Fadi
authors: F
authors: Asfour
authors: Division of Pediatric Gastroenterology, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT, USA.
authors: Daniel
authors: D
authors: Jackson
authors: Division of Otolaryngology, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT, USA.
authors: J Fredrik
authors: JF
authors: Grimmer
authors: Division of Otolaryngology, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT, USA.
authors: Harlan R
authors: HR
authors: Muntz
authors: Division of Otolaryngology, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT, USA.
authors: Albert H
authors: AH
authors: Park
mesh_terms: D001706:Biopsy; D001999:Bronchoscopy / Q000379:methods; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D003440:Croup / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000209:etiology*; D005260:Female; D005764:Gastroesophageal Reflux / Q000150:complications* / Q000453:epidemiology; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D008297:Male; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012307:Risk Factors; D014132:Trachea / Q000473:pathology; D014136:Tracheitis / Q000150:complications* / Q000175:diagnosis
keywords: Bronchoscopy; Esophagoscopy; Gastroesophageal reflux; pH probe