Clinical Investigation

Foreign Body Aspiration in Childhood

  • Hursit APA
  • Ertan KAYSERILI
  • Murat HIZARCIOGLU
  • Pamir GÜLEZ
  • Özgür UMAÇ
  • Ayse Gülden DINIZ

Received Date: 30.06.2006 Accepted Date: 03.02.2006 Meandros Med Dent J 2005;6(3):17-21

Aim: Determining and removing the aspirated foreign bodies from airways is important in preventing complications. Thus, 22 patients who had admitted to our clinic with the suspicion of airway foreign body within a period of 10 months were retrospectively evaluated. Material and methods: Sixteen patients were boys and six were girls, and their ages differed from 11 to 57 months (median 24 months). The common complaints were cough, wheezing and cyanosis. Only 8 patients were admitted to the hospital with respiratory distress. The physical examination revealed the diagnosis in fifteen of the patiens. On the other hand, the chest roentgenography revealed the diagnosis in thirteen. The foreign bodies were removed by bronchoscopy in 21 patients (95.5%). In spite of positive history, no signs and symptoms were determined by physical examination and chest roentgenography in 3 of 4 patients, the foreign body was removed from airway and it was accepted valuable to stress the importance of history. Results: Fifteen of the removed foreign bodies were organic, 2 were inorganic, and 2 could no be determined. In 2 patients the granulation tissue which had caused obstruction in the airway was curetted and in one patient a plant- like material was obtained. Only in one patient no foreign body was obtained. In 10 patients (47.6%) the foreign body was removed from left main bronchi, in 8 patients (38.1%) from right main bronchi, in 2 patients from trachea and in 1 patient from bilateral bronches. Conclusion: We presented this study to remind that in making the diagnosis of airway foreign body, which is more common in infancy than expected, suspicion and history are the most important diagnostic criteria.

Keywords: Aspiration, foreign body, bronchoscopy