Yukio Toda

Laryngeal foreign body in infant: A case report.

Recently we treated a 15-month-old female with a plastic toy fixed in the glottis.In the past 25 years, 14 infants with laryngeal obstruction by a foreign body have been reported in Japan. The type and site of obstruction of the foreign bodies and the duration of their enlodgement were investigated.In 12 of the 14 patients, the foreign bodies were some form of food, and in 13, the foreign body was radiolucent. In half of the patients, the foreign body had been present for more than a month.Among the many examinations used, auscultation and soft lateral roentgenograms of the neck seemed to be the most useful in the diagnosis of this condition.Laryngeal foreign bodies accounted for 0-4% of the total number of foreign bodies in the respiratory tract. In cooperation with pediatricians and radiologists, otolaryngologists can improve the accuracy of diagnosing this disease.Otolaryngologists should always suspect foreign bodies and perform direct laryngoscopy when children with stridor are examined.