Flexible endoscopy of aerodigestive tract in small infants

Early detection of laryngeal cleft in infants by novel technique of flexible endoscopy with sustained pharyngeal inflation

OBJECTIVE

We report a novel technique of flexible endoscopy with noninvasive ventilation (NIV) and sustained pharyngeal inflation (FE-NIV-SPI) in assessing aeroesophageal tracts (AET) to facilitate early detection of laryngeal clefts in infants.

METHODS

Medical charts and flexible endoscopy videos of the children who were diagnosed with laryngeal cleft in a tertiary care hospital between January 2000 and December 2020 were retrospectively reviewed and analyzed. The FE-NIV-SPI technique had been applied to all these children.

RESULTS

Totally, 12 infants with laryngeal cleft were identified. This equates to a prevalence of 0.28% in all the children who underwent flexible endoscopy at our institution. Their mean age was 5.0 ± 4.9 months and mean body weight was 4.7 ± 2.3 kg. Nine (75%) infants were referred in without laryngeal cleft diagnosis, which was missed by 11 prior bronchoscopy and 5 computer tomography examinations. With the FE-NIV-SPI technique, the pharyngolaryngeal space could be pneumatically dilated permitting a detailed assessment. All laryngeal cleft types and coexisting AET lesions were visualized at the first FE-NIV-SPI examination with a mean time of 4.2 ± 0.9 min; they were eight Type I, two Type II, and one Type III. Ten (83.3%) infants had coexisting airway malacia.

CONCLUSION

Routine use of FE-NIV-SPI technique can help in early detection of laryngeal clefts and other associated AET lesions. Further multicenter collaborative investigations are essential to verify the early detection of this rare and occult lesion of the laryngeal cleft with this technique.

Flexible bronchoscopy as a valuable diagnostic and therapeutic tool in pediatric intensive care patients: a report on 5 years of experience

OBJECTIVE

To evaluate the clinical role of flexible bronchoscopy (FB) in pediatric and neonatal intensive care units (ICUs).

DESIGN

A retrospective review of all patients receiving FB procedures between January 2005 and December 2009.

SETTING

Pediatric and neonatal ICUs of a tertiary care multi-disciplinary teaching hospital located in northern Taiwan.

PATIENTS

A total of 358 ICU patients (223 males) who received 725 FB procedures.

MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS

The medical records were reviewed and analyzed. Mean age for the first time FB was 35.7 (±48.9 SD) months old and 68.2% of them were <3 years old. Among them, unexplained retraction or tachypnea (32.0%) and stridor (20.1%) were the two leading indications for FB. The positive finding rate of FB was 87.2%, with airway malacia (47.8%) being the most common, especially in patients <3 years old. Positive lesion sites were approximately equally distributed between the upper (51.1%) and lower (50.6%) airways. Concomitant findings in the esophagus were found in 15.4% of the patients. There were 518 interventional FBs (71.4%, 518/725 procedures) which were performed on 201 (56.1%, 201/358) patients; FB-aided endotracheal intubation (180/518, 34.7%) and laser therapy (109/518, 21.0%) were the two leading techniques used. No patient suffered from any long-term complications or mortality associated with the FB procedures.

CONCLUSIONS

FB is a safe and valuable diagnostic and therapeutic tool for patients in pediatric and neonatal ICUs.

Endoscopic diagnosis and management of iatrogenic cervical esophageal perforation in extremely premature infants

Blind oro-(naso)-pharyngeal suction and feeding catheter intubation are very common practices in pediatric critical care. However, these simple procedures may produce unexpected complications in friable tiny patients. We encountered 3 extremely premature infants in whom cervical esophageal perforation and further submucosal excavation were caused by traumatic catheter injury and subsequently led to catastrophes. These episodes of iatrogenic trauma were all successfully diagnosed early, documented and managed with the aid of ultrathin flexible endoscopy.