Three cases of laryngeal foreign bodies in infants were treated in our hospital over the past 10 years. Among them, a case of a 1-year-old boy was reported. His chief complaint was coughing after having eaten fish. Videolaryngoscopy revealed pieces of fish bones in his subglottic space. First we removed a part of the fish bones with forceps via a flexible fiberscope following placement of a laryngeal mask under general anesthesia. Because of edema in the larynx, we removed the bones piece by piece with forceps by way of a rigid ventilation bronchoscope.
With infants it is difficult to diagnose a laryngeal foreign body especially in the subglottic space. Videolaryngoscopy is useful in such cases. Before removal of a laryngeal foreign body, careful observation is mandatory to avoid unnecessary damage to the trachea and the larynx. To inspect the larynx and the trachea, the flexible fiberscope is a choice instrument following placement of a laryngeal mask under general anesthesia.
