The diagnostic effectiveness of the flexible bronchoscope in children.

Over a 5-year period 1,000 pulmonary endoscopic procedures (172 laryngoscopies, 828 bronchoscopies) were performed in children less than 10 years of age using flexible fiberoptic bronchoscopes, with sedation and topical anesthesia. An endoscopic diagnosis of direct relevance to the primary indication for the procedure was established in 76% of the cases; in an additional 15%, abnormalities relevant to a secondary indication were found. Findings were normal in 9% of the cases. The bronchoscope was most useful in the evaluation of patients who had stridor, atelectasis, persistent wheezing, or a suspected foreign body for which there was insufficient evidence to warrant open-tube bronchoscopy, and for patients who had tracheostomies. The high diagnostic yield and low complication rate strongly support the use of the flexible bronchoscope in the diagnostic evaluation of infants and children who have a variety of pulmonary problems.