ABSTRACT

Tracheobronchial foreign body aspiration is an important medical problem that can be seen in both children and elderly and may have mortal consequences. In some cases, aspiration into a bronchus may have an insidious course and this causes a delay in diagnosis and treatment. A delay in diagnosis and treatment may lead to serious complications which frequently require surgical resection. In this article 4 cases with airway foreign body aspiration in whom paranchymal complications were observed due to delay in diagnosis are presented. All the cases were performed thoracotomy and surgical resection. Histopatholojic examination of resected specimens revealed that plastic materials in two cases, wood pieces in one case and vegetable seed in one case caused paranchymal destruction. Airway foreign body aspiration should be considered in the etiology of diseases such as recurrent pulmonary infection, lung abscess and bronchiectasis.

Keywords: Pulmonary resection, bronchoscopy, thoracotomy, foreign body