Abstract
Sixty-six cases of foreign body in bronchi which were seen in our Dept. for the past 17 years since 1946, were statistically analysed. Sex-ratio was double in the female as compared to the male. Vegetable foreign body cases were 60%. Metal foreign body cases and animal foreign body cases were recorded at 8% of 66 cases. 50% of vegetal foreign body cases were beans. Foreign body cases in bronchi are very few in adults as we had only 4 cases. Most of these cases were babies and infants (0-6 yrs. old) and school children (8-14 yer. old). Most of tht former cases were beans and the latter were pencil caps. They mis-inhaled them whilst playing or eating. Their chief complains were cough and dyspnea. Foreign bodies were found twice as many in the Rt. bronchus as in the Lt. bronchus. All of the foreign body cases were x-rayed and among them 5 cases of emphysema and 11 cases of athelectasis were found. 4 cases visited us directly but 53 cases were examined at our Dept. after they had some treatments by the other doctors. 51% out of the 66 cases were examined by us within 24 hours and 2 cases after 6 months.
