Abstract
Recently we have seen a case of bronchial foreign body with pneumothorax, which has been reported in only a few cases in Japan.
A 14-month-old male had begun to suffer from coughing and dyspnea on March 28, 1993. X-rays showed a pneumothorax of the left lung. Constant air aspiration from the left pleural cavity by the insertion of a catheter resulted in marked improvement. However, his pneumonia and slight fever did not improve in spite of the continuous use of antibiotics. Aspiration of a foreign body was highly suspected, and the patient came to our clinic on April 23, 1993. X-rays indicated emphysema and a shift of the mediastinum toward the right. Direct bronchoscopy was performed with a ventilation bronchoscope. A seed of a Chinese citron was found at the left main bronchus. After the seed was removed, the symptoms disappeared and no complications were observed.
