Value of Bronchoscopy in Diagnosis and Treatment of Recurrent Cough and Pneumonia in Children With Foreign Body Etiology

Abstract

Introduction: We aimed to evaluate the bronchoscopy results of children with undiagnosed recurrent cough and pneumonia presumed to be due to foreign body aspiration according to the literature. Material and Method: Thirty-seven children followed by the Yuzuncu Yil University Medical Faculty with chronic cough and recurrent pneumonia not responding to medical treatment, were included in this study between 2004-2008. Bronchoscopy was carried out with a rigid/flexible bronchoscope under general anesthesia in the operating room. Intergroup differences were compared with Mann-Whitney U test, two-tailed Chi-square test was used for group frequency and Fisher's Exact test for group items less than five. A P value of 0.05 was considered to indicate statistical significance Results: Cases consisted of 21 males (56,8%) and 16 (43,2%) females. Eighteen cases with chronic cough and nineteen cases with recurrent pneumonia were followed up. A foreign body was determined in twelve (32,4%) cases with rigid bronchoscopy. Foreign body diagnosis was detected significantly more frequently in recurrent pneumonia cases than in chronic cough cases (p< 0,0012). Conclusion: Bronchoscopy is valuable in diagnosing and treating children not responding to medical therapy with chronic cough and recurrent pneumonia.