Advance in the diagnosis and treatment of plastic bronchitis in children / 国际儿科学杂志

ABSTRACT

As a clinical syndrome involving multiple systems, plastic bronchitis(PB)raises a widely interest among researchers due to its complex etiology and unclear pathogenesis.It is currently believed that PB is related to bronchial asthma, cystic fibrosis, sickle cell disease and respiratory tract infection.The main characteristic of PB is the formation of dendritic casts in the bronchus, causing local or extensive obstruction, acute dyspnea, even respiratory failure, and death.Besides, the lack of effective management may result in recurrent respiratory infection, seriously affecting children′s quality of life.The disease is rare in pediatrics, and its clinical and imaging manifestations have no specificity, which can easily lead to misdiagnosis and missed diagnosis.Hence, it is extremely important for early diagnosis and timely removal of plastic substances blocking the airway.