Late sequelae of foreign body inhalation. A multicentric scintigraphic study.

A multicentre European study on foreign body inhalation has been organized by the Pediatric Task Force covering both the SNME and the ENMS. Among the 100 cases which could be collected in a 2 year period, about 40% of scintigraphic abnormalities were found 6 months after relief of the foreign body. The frequency of these defects was clearly related to the time interval between aspiration and removal. Factors like the localization of the foreign body and the site of the early scintigraphic defects could be related to the further scintigraphic outcome, but this could not be proven statistically. Similarly, the absence of bronchial tree inspection after removal of the foreign body seemed to be associated with more permanent scintigraphic lesions. Finally, it is obvious that a large number of patients demonstrated scintigraphic alterations 6 months or more after removal of the foreign body, although the chest X-rays were considered normal.