Foreign Body in the Larynx in an Infant

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Acta Otorrinolaringol Esp. 2015;66(2):124
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IMAGES IN OTORHINOLARYNGOLOGY
Foreign Body in the Larynx in an Infant夽
Cuerpo extraño en laringe en un lactante
Hugo Rodríguez, Giselle Cuestas,∗ Dario Gregori
Servicio de Endoscopia Respiratoria, Hospital de Pediatría Prof. Dr. Juan P. Garrahan, Buenos Aires, Argentina
Received 30 April 2013; accepted 14 May 2013
An infant male patient aged one presented at the Respiratory Endoscopy Department with a 2-month history of
inspiratory and expiratory stridor, together with dysphonia
and a croupy cough. He received medical treatment for
laryngitis but did not response to it. The patient had no
difficulty swallowing nor did he have a perinatal pathological history. The mother stated that the stridor had suddenly
begun one night after the child had difficulty breathing and
a cough, whilst playing with a plastic bag.
A fibreoptic laryngoscopy and subsequently a direct
laryngoscopy were performed under general anaesthetic,
which disclosed a foreign body between the vocal chords
(Fig. 1). Grip forceps were used to remove a plastic film
(Fig. 2). We observed a lesion on the laryngeal surface of
the epiglottis and granulomas on the subglottis (Fig. 2B)
caused by pressure from the object. This was resected
with cup-shaped forceps and topical Mitomycin C was
applied.
The patient immediately made excellent progress. He
was fed orally and received postoperative treatment with
antibiotics and corticosteroids.
The aspiration of foreign bodies is a preventable occurrence which is mainly observed in infants under 3, causing
significant morbimortality. Clinical presentation may be similar to different disorders, delaying a correct diagnosis.
A history (positive history) of choking or a cough combined with difficulty breathing in a previously healthy child
who was playing and/or eating should never be ignored. We
would stress the need for preventative measures and wider
awareness-raising activities in the community and among
health professionals with regards to this problem.
Figure 1
夽 Please cite this article as: Rodríguez H, Cuestas G, Gregori D.
Cuerpo extraño en laringe en un lactante. Acta Otorrinolaringol Esp.
2015;66:124.
∗ Corresponding author.
E-mail address: giselle cuestas@yahoo.com.ar (G. Cuestas).
Figure 2
2173-5735/$ – see front matter © 2013 Elsevier España, S.L.U. and Sociedad Española de Otorrinolaringología y Patología Cérvico-Facial. All rights reserved.