Foreign bodies in the tracheobronchial tree--a retrospective study of 217 cases.

This is a retrospective study of 217 cases of foreign body in the tracheobronchial tree. The diagnostic techniques, current management, and statistics related to sex, age, yearly incidence, duration of symptoms, nature of foreign body, location, and duration of hospitalization are discussed. The most common complications resulting from a foreign body in the tracheobronchial tree were atelectasis, subglottic stenosis, and pneumonia.