Clinical Applications of Pediatric Bronchoscopy in Pediatric Pulmonary Diseases

Kim, Kwang Woo

Abstract

PURPOSE
Pediatric bronchoscopy is becoming an essential tool for diagnosis and treatment of pediatric respiratory tract diseases. But there is no international standard for the indication, procedure and bronchoalveolar lavage. We experienced 110 cases over 1 year for pediatric bronchoscopy and reported datas for them. METHOD: We used Olympus 3C30 pediatric bronchoscope and Wolfs rigid bronchoscopes for the bronchoscopy. Atropine intravenous injections was given as an premedication before 30 minutes of the bronchoscopy procedure. Midazolam was used as a main sedative and fentanyl, and droperidol was used for reduction of pain during procedures. We recorded the findings using videotapes and discussed the findings later. BAL was done if it needed and made a cell count and cultured the BAL fluid for the identifying the causative organisms.
RESULTS
1) Among 110 cases, male were 78 (72%), female were 32 (28%). Age distributions were 42 (37%) in 3-6 year of age, 21 (19%) in 1-3 year of age and the median is 4 year of age. 2) Indications are followings; Chronic cough 42, acute severe pneumonia 26, chronic/recurrent infiltrate 10, pulmonary TB with abnormal radiograph 10, stridor 6, abnormal airway radiograph 6, abnormal voices 5, persistent wheezing 4, foreign body suspected 3, pulmonary toilet with debilitated patient 1, management of artificial airway 1. Primary bronchoscopic findings were as followings; normal findings 21, pus 40, laryngomalacia 19, tracheomalacia 9, mucosa abnormality 5, vocal cord abnormality 5, bronchomalacia, 3, edema 2, obstruction, 2, constriction 1, tracheal bronchus 1 case. 3) Complications of bronchoscopy were fever, hypoxia, laryngospasm and epistaxis. 4) Cell differential analysis of 49 cases, neutrophil predominance 33 (68%), lymphocyte predominance 6 (12%), macrophage predominance 8 (16%), eosinophil predominance 2 (4%). 5) Cultures for bacteriae were included as followings; Stenotrephomonas maltophilia 17, Streptococcus mitis 13, alpha-hemolytic-Streptococcus 6, Klebsiella pneumoniae 6 cases. But it seems to be contaminated. But some organisms, Moraxella species, H. influenza may be causative organisms of pulmonary infections. 6) Ten AFB smear positive cases were discovered. Among them only one case was TB-PCR positive and the other nine cases were TB-PCR negative and two cases were PCR positive for mycobacterium other than tuberculosis (MOTT). It suggests that MOTT infections may be a role for pediatric chronic cough.
CONCLUSION
Pediatric bronchoscopy made us far advanced improvement in diagnosis and management of pediatric pulmonary diseases.