Imaging evaluation for the diagnosis of tracheobronchial foreign bodies among children cases

Objective To explore the feasibility and clinical implications of radiation imaging techniques in the diagnosis of tracheobronchial foreign bodies among children cases based on a clinical trial. Methods A retrospective study was carried out among 98 children cases with tracheobronchial foreign bodies treated in our Hospital from Sep. 2005 to Jun. 2006. Their clinicaI courses in hospitalization and imaging data collected during this period were carefully analyzed to value the evaluation of radiation imaging techniques in the diagnosis of such a condition. Results Among these 98 cases, 74 were examined preoperatively with chest radiography or fluoroscopy. with abnormal findings found in 46 cases, 1 5 were given routine CT scanning. with abnormal images shown in 1 3 cases and furthermore, with the foreign bodies directly displayed on the CT images in 5 out of these 1 3 cases, and spiral CT with 3-D reconstruction were performed among 1 0 cases, all with abnormal image findings and 8 out of them with foreign body images directly shown on the films. These children cases were all successfully treated bv rigid bronchoscopy and foreign body removing procedures other than one case, who was died of suffocation preoperatively, with the operation successfully performed only once among 94 cases, with the foreign bodies expectorated before the operation in 2, and with no foreign body found during the bronchoscopic surgery in one. Conclusions Radiation imaging techniques are much more valuable as a means of auxiliary procedure for the clinical diagnosis Of tracheobronchial foreign bodies among children cases. while the outcome of imaging Call not be taken as the absolute indicator for making the decision whether or not to perform bronchoscopic surgery.