Acute necrotizing pneumonia 16 years after aspiration of a conifer branch

摘要

Aspiration of foreign bodies (FB) is more often seen in paediatric patients than in adults. Sometimes the exact moment of aspiration cannot be retraced. Depending on the FB composition and the location of the FB in the tracheobronchial tree, it is possible that aspiration remains undetected and asymptomatic for a long period of time. Removal of FB is mainly performed using the rigid bronchoscope. This technique enables the inspection of the central airways only and the more peripheral located FB may remain undetected. With the use of a fibre optic bronchoscope, the peripheral branches of the tracheobronchial tree can be inspected more adequately, and a complete removal of FB can be performed. We describe a patient who aspirated a FB during his childhood. Removal at that time was assumed to be complete using the rigid bronchoscope. Due to a necrotizing pneumonia 16 yr later and the development of bronchiectasis of the obstructed lung parenchyma, incomplete removal of the FB became clear.