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. 2013:2013:317104.
doi: 10.1155/2013/317104. Epub 2013 Dec 28.

Foreign body aspiration presenting with asthma-like symptoms

Jennifer C Kam  1 , Vikram Doraiswamy  2 , Javier F Dieguez  3 , Joan Dabu  2 , Matthew Cholankeril  2 , Mayur Govind  2 , Richard Miller  3 , Marc Adelman  3
Affiliations

Foreign body aspiration presenting with asthma-like symptoms

Jennifer C Kam et al. Case Rep Med. 2013.

Abstract

Aspiration of a foreign body into the tracheobronchial tree is rare in adults. In the majority of these cases there is an underlying condition such as mental retardation, depressed mental status, impairment in the swallowing reflex, neurological impairment, alcohol or sedative abuse, or complications from dental manipulations that contributed to the aspiration. These patients are commonly misdiagnosed with asthma and typically do not respond to mainstay anti-inflammatory and/or bronchodilator therapy. We describe the case of a patient with a foreign body aspiration in the upper trachea not recognized by radiographic studies that presented with asthma-type symptoms.

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Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Posterioranterior and lateral chest radiographs showing dilation of the esophagus.
Figure 2
Figure 2
CT scan of the neck showing a haziness in the trachea representing the foreign body.
Figure 3
Figure 3
Bronchoscopic images showing vocal cords (a) and different views of the foreign body.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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