Pediatric Flexible Bronchoscopy: Clinical Experience of 100 Cases of Bronchoscopy from a Single Institute / 소아알레르기및호흡기학회지

ABSTRACT

PURPOSE: Flexible bronchoscopy is effectively used in the diagnosis and treatment of respiratory diseases in children. This report attempted to analyze the indication, effectiveness, and complications of bronchoscopy in children who visited a single tertiary care, university-based hospital in Korea. METHODS: A retrospective review was conducted of the medical records of a total of 100 cases of flexible bronchoscopy that were performed at the Department of Pediatrics of the Catholic University of Korea Seoul St. Mary's Hospital from April 8, 2007 to June 16, 2010. RESULTS: A total of 85 patients (48 males and 37 females) were involved in the study. The range in age was 5 days old to 18 years old. Eighty cases were for diagnosis, 7 cases for treatment, and 13 cases for both. The purpose of flexible bronchoscopy was accomplished in 67 of 100 cases. In 60 cases where bronchoalveolar lavage was provided, microbial organisms were identified in 38 cases. Minor complications were observed in 12 cases. CONCLUSION: Pediatric flexible bronchoscopy is shown to be an effective and safe diagnostic and interventional tool, even in young or immunocompromised hosts. This study also found that children under one year of age were more frequently treated with bronchoscopy and that the detection rate in microbiological diagnosis was improved due to the introduction of the virus polymerase chain reaction method.