Accuracy and Safety of Tracheoscopy for Infants in a Tertiary Care Clinic

Abstract

In an appropriate patient, FFLT is a safe and effective diagnostic tool for common infant tracheal and laryngeal abnormalities. Detection and characterization of dynamic airway lesions is better achieved by FFLT than by MLB.

Huge Thyroid Swelling - How We Managed the Surgical Difficulties: A Case Report

“…Preoperative flexible fiberoptic laryngoscopy combined with tracheoscopy is gold standard for detection. [15] However, the symptoms and findings may not manifest until after the thyroid gland is removed. This is because fibrous attachments from the thyroid gland to the trachea may help to maintain airway patency during the breathing cycle.…”

Upper airway abnormalities detected in children using flexible bronchoscopy

“…In patients with airway obstruction, it is important to perform bronchoscopy in order to assess and explain the symptoms as well as to determine whether and possibly which intervention may be required. Flexible bronchoscopy (FOB) is an important, safe and essential diagnostic tool for structural and functional assessment of airways, and in the diagnosis of congenital and acquired pulmonary disorders of paediatric patients [14][15][16]. The use of the flexible endoscope is indispensable if functional assessment of the airway is required, especially for the upper airways.…”

The Infant With Noisy Breathing

“…Subglottic and tracheal lesions may be more difficult to visualize with FFL; however, awake flexible tracheoscopy may be safely used to assess lesions distal to the true vocal folds [11]. Still, some lesions will require further investigation in the operating room under general anesthesia with direct microlaryngoscopy and diagnostic bronchoscopy.…”

“…Congenital lesions demonstrate an elliptical cricoid ring that does not respond to dilation and typically will require augmentation with a cartilage graft to improve the subglottic lumen size. isolated anterior subglottic stenosis, an anterior cricoid split with placement of an interposition graft from the superior (alar) portion of the thyroid cartilage may be sufficient to successfully treat the stenosis and, in many cases, avoid tracheotomy [11,18,19]. This is an augmentation of the earlier anterior cricoid split technique used and stabilizes the open cricoid defect with a small amount of cartilage without the morbidity associated with harvesting a costocartilage (rib) graft.…”