Rigid pediatric bronchoscopy for bronchial foreign bodies with and without Hopkins telescope.

This study was undertaken to evaluate the merits and demerits of pediatric bronchoscopy with or without the use of Hopkins telescope in 60 pediatric patients at the Otolaryngology clinic of tertiary level teaching hospital. Group-I comprised of 30 children who underwent a non-telescopic procedure, while Group-II included another 30 who went through a telescopic-guided removal using standard forceps. It was observed that due to better illumination, higher optical resolution and magnification owing to the use of the telescope, foreign body removal using this technique was completed with minimal complications. The precision in foreign body removal using telescopic-guided procedure in Group-II cases was immense though the operative time in comparison to the non-telescopic one was found to be statistically higher (P = 0.0019). This group also had a shorter hospital stay. The use of standard forceps in place of optical forceps gave an easier maneuverability through small-sized pediatric bronchoscopes, thereby giving an edge over the latter.

Foreign body aspiration.

OBJECTIVE:To analyze the clinical and radiological profile of foreign body aspiration in children reaching a tertiary care center and identify areas of possible interventions for proper management of such cases. SETTING: Tertiary level teaching hospital. SUBJECTS: Case records of patients suspected to have foreign body aspiration over the past four years were analyzed. Clinico-radiological features, types and location of foreign bodies were studied. RESULTS: Of 75 children who underwent rigid bronchoscopy, 70 had tracheo-bronchial foreign bodies. History of choking was elicited in 90 percent cases. In 30 percent cases chest radiographs were non-contributory, while the commonest finding (63 percent) was distal emphysema. Over three-fourth of the cases were below the age of 2 years. Vegetative foreign bodies, mainly peanuts, were commonly present. In many cases, referral was delayed as the diagnosis was missed initially. CONCLUSION: Foreign body aspiration remains a common unintentional childhood injury due to improper exposure of young children to otherwise innocuous looking nuts and other small objects.

Tubercular retropharyngeal abscess in early childhood.

We present two cases of Pott's lower cervical spine with retro-pharyngeal abscess presenting at an unusually young age. These children presented with a life threatening respiratory distress; one of them had neurological deficit in the form of paraparesis. External drainage of abscess without anterior cervical fusion was adequate as a surgical measure for their prompt recovery while these cases were on conventional anti-tubercular therapy.