Open AccessFlexible Bronchoscopic Removal of a Forgotten Intrabronchial Foreign Body
Author(s) -
Ashesh Dhungana,
Ajit Thapa
Publication year - 2019
Publication title -
journal of nepal health research council
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
eISSN - 1999-6217
pISSN - 1727-5482
DOI - 10.33314/jnhrc.v16i41.1260
Subject(s) - medicine , foreign body , choking , foreign body aspiration , forceps , flexible bronchoscopy , bronchoscopy , bronchus , surgery , radiology , thorax (insect anatomy) , left main bronchus , lung , anatomy , respiratory disease
Foreign body aspiration is uncommon in adults and the diagnosis may be delayed in the elderly, as many fail to provide a history of choking during initial evaluation. Flexible bronchoscopy is a useful tool for foreign body extraction from the tracheobronchial tree in selected cases. A Sixty-two year old male presented with history of cough, purulent sputum and intermittent hemoptysis. CT scan of the thorax demonstrated a radio-dense foreign body in the bronchus intermedius causing focal narrowing. Flexible fiberoptic bronchoscopy revealed a glistening white bone in the distal bronchus intermedius which was successfully grasped with the flexible forceps and extracted via the oral route with the bronchoscope. Keywords: Elderly; flexible bronchoscopy; foreign body aspiration.