EXPERIENCE FROM PESHAWAR

Background and Objective: Flexible bronchoscopy is an important proce-dure in respiratory medicine. There is no local data available summarizing the experience of flexible bronchoscopy in pediatric population. We, therefore, decided to documents and record all bronchoscopies performed on children in our unit. The aim was to find different indications for flexible bronchoscopy, explore the diagnostic yield for these indications and highlight the potential complications. Methodology: Seventy one (71) diagnostic and therapeutic bronchoscopies, performed in children during a 14 years period, were analyzed. Results: There were 46 male and 25 female. Age ranged from 40 days to 13 years, with a mean age of 6.47 years + 3.719 SD.Suspected foreign body inhalation (19 cases), persistent lower zone opacity (11 cases) and opaque hemithorax (9 cases) were the most common indications. Fifty (70) % of bronchoscopies had a meaningful outcome. Diagnostic yield for individual indications ranged from 25 % to 100 %. Recurrent infections, as a group, were the most rewarding indications (100 % diagnostic yield); followed by radio-graphic abnormalities as a group (71 % diagnostic yield). Complications were recorded only in 9.8 % of the children. Oxygen de-saturation was the most common (4.2 %) but easily reversible complication; rest of the complications was small in numbers and also easily reversible. Conclusions: Flexible bronchoscopy in children is a safe procedure and the overall meaningful outcome for most indications is high