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

A multicentre European study on foreign body inhalation has been organized by the Pediatric gTask Force covering both the SNME and the ENMS. Among the 100 cases which could be collected in a 2 year period, about i 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 ofthe 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 treeinspection after removal of the foreign body seemed to be associated with more permanent scintigraphie lesions. Finally, it is obvious that a large number of patients demonstrated scintigraphic alterationsomonths or more after removal ofthe foreign body, although the chest X-rays were considered normal.