Cuerpos extraños en vías aéreas inferiores en lactantes y niñosdiagnóstico y terapéutica

Abstract

We present a series of 114 cases of children under seven years of age with solid foreign bodies in lower respiratory tract. These cases were analysed under diagnostic and therapeutic aspects. The index of clinical diagnosis is taken into consideration, based on the respiratory symptoms and the aspirative antecedent; the radiologic diagnosis: opacity and indirect signs; endoscopy as diagnostic and therapeutic procedure, and the use of other medical and surgical treatments. From the results obtained we draw the following conclusions: a) Almost all cases of foreign bodies can be diagnosed from a good clinical history, and a radiologic study of the thorax, in inspiration-expiration. b) Endoscopy is the selective diagnostic and therapeutic tool; morbidity and mortality is negligible, and hospitalization period short. Either tracheostomy or bronchotomy are done very rarely. c) The pathologic lesions are dependent upon the shape of the object, its nature, the time it has been in the air tract and the response of the host. d) Foreign bodies appear most frequently in the right principal bronchus.