Clinical experience in airway endoscopy in children: an emphasis on the comparison between flexible and rigid endoscopy.

Congenital and acquired lesions of the pediatric airway frequently pose perplexing problems in children, infants and newborns. Prompt investigation into the etiology and early intervention are essential to decrease the morbidity and to prevent some tragic events. Endoscopy grants access to the lesion sites for either diagnostic or therapeutic purposes. From April 1994 to May 1997, totally 509 endoscopic procedures, including 292 flexible and 217 rigid endoscopic procedures were performed in 296 pediatric patients at National Taiwan University Hospital. For routine diagnostic procedures, the flexible fiberscope is the instrument of choice which should include a detailed examination of entire upper airway, as farther to tracheobronchi as possible. When flexible endoscopy fails to demonstrate the exact airway lesion or certain surgical manipulation is demanded, rigid endoscopy is favored. The indications for endoscopy were: stridor, respiratory distress, follow-up endoscopy or tracheostoma evaluation, feeding difficulty, hoarseness or weak voice, and suspicious airway foreign body. Common airway problems in serial orders were: laryngomalacia, subglottic stenosis, tracheo/bronchomalacia and airway foreign body. Nearly 20% of patients in this series had multiple synchronous airway lesions. There was no major complication in our 292 flexible endoscopic procedures. Two major complications attributed to endoscopic manipulations occurred in 217 rigid endoscopic procedures.