Indications and Complications of Flexible Fiberoptic Bronchoscopy in Children: A 5-Year Experience at a Tertiary Care Hospital in Iran

Flexible fiberoptic bronchoscopy (FFB) is known as an important diagnostic and therapeutic modality in the evaluation of respiratory disorders in pediatric population.

The study aims to highlight common indications and risk of complications associated with bronchoscopy in our population.

This retrospective evaluation was performed in all patients that underwent flexible bronchoscopy at Children’s Medical Center (affiliated to Tehran University of Medical Sciences) between April 2011 and September 2016.

Of 800 bronchoscopies, 574 (71.7%) were performed for diagnostic and 226 (28.2%) for therapeutic purposes. Major indications included radiographic abnormalities (30%), a foreign body or suspected foreign body (28.5% of all FFBs) and stridor or wheezing (25% of all FBB). The incidence of major complications associated with FFBs was 0.87%. The most frequent complication was pneumothorax, followed by lung hemorrhage, and respiratory failure.

Our findings support early intervention and utilization of bronchoscopy in the pediatric population with variable respiratory complaints.