Applications of an ultrathin flexible bronchoscope for neonatal and pediatric airway problems.

A new 2.7 mm flexible fiberoptic bronchoscope with a directable tip was used to evaluate potential airway problems in 73 pediatric patients. Forty-eight laryngoscopies and 47 bronchoscopies were performed over an 18-month period. Persistent stridor was the most common indication for laryngoscopy; persistent wheezing, the most common indication for bronchoscopy. We obtained diagnostic information in 83 procedures, incidental findings in four, and normal results in eight. There were four complications and no deaths. This instrument enabled patients to be examined who were previously considered too small or who previously required rigid bronchoscopy under general anesthesia.