Abstract
At the authors' institution a total of 19 cases of foreign bodies in the airway were treated in the past 5 years. These consisted of 8 peanuts, 3 soybeans, 3 false teeth, 2 ball point pen caps, 1 cedar leaf, 1 pin and 1 staple. While this number is not very great, it is noteworthy that all cases were treated successfully with the fiberoptic bronchoscope. There has been considerable discussions as to whether airway foreign bodies should be treated with the rigid bronchoscope or the flexible fiberoptic bronchoscope. The authors feel that selection of the instrument depends on the case, experience of the author and the condition of each institution. Also the types of foreign bodies, most commonly observed in Japan, are soybeans seen in younger children tending to expand, soften and are sometimes treated with a Fogarty catheter. Very young children are unable to control themselves and are usually treated under general anesthesia. In the West such cases are generally treated with the ventilation bronchoscope, but at the authors' institution a Portex revolving connector used with the flexible fiberoptic bronchoscope has been found to be very effective. Due to the minimized burden on the patient, the ease for the operator and the development in accessories, it is thought that the flexible fiberoptic bronchoscope will be used increasingly in the future for the removal of airway foreign bodies.
