The origin of bronchial foreign bodies: a retrospective study and literature review

Abstract

Nasal foreign bodies are managed as an emergency for the risk of aspiration, yet it is not clear what proportion of bronchial foreign bodies actually originate in the nose. The aim of this study was to identify the origin of bronchial foreign bodies and estimate the risk of a nasal foreign body becoming impacted in the bronchial tree. We present a retrospective study of suspected bronchial foreign body cases at Addenbrooke's Hospital in Cambridge, UK, who underwent a bronchoscopy between 2002 and 2007. We further compare our experience with a literature review on bronchial and nasal foreign bodies to highlight important differences between these distinct clinical problems. Our experience shows that all cases of proven foreign body at bronchoscopy had ingested the foreign body orally. We could find only one case of a nasal foreign body in the literature that had been ingested during its removal, but no cases specifically entering the tracheo-bronchial tree. We therefore conclude that bronchial foreign bodies have their origin almost invariably in the mouth and the risk of a nasal foreign body entering the bronchial tree is negligible (<0.06%).

Risk factors associated with hypoxemia during foreign body removal from airways in childhood

“…The results found in the present study emphasize those classically described in the literature: foreign body aspiration is more prevalent in boys, aged less than 3 years, with predominance of an organic FB located in the right bronchus [1,8,[11][12][13][14][15][16].…”

Avulsed Nasoenteric Bridle System Magnet as an Intranasal Foreign Body

“…Bilateral magnets can cause pressure necrosis and lead to septal perforation 13 . Fortunately, there is a very low (<0.06%) frequency of a nasal foreign body entering the bronchial tree, permitting more timing flexibility in the absence of dangerous foreign bodies 14 …”

Foreign Body Aspiration: Imaging Aspects

“…They can ulcerate and damage the nasal septum, dislodge into the nasopharynx, and seldom can be aspirated into the tracheobronchial tree (Cohen et al 1993;Fini-Storchi and Ninu 1996;Qureshi et al 2009). …”