Case report: Foreign body aspiration with complete obstruction of the left main bronchus with initially non-specific symptoms

Case report Foreign body aspiration with complete obstruction of the left main bronchus with initially non-specific symptoms. A 2 year-old child initially presented with the mother with non-specific symptoms. The mother reported that her child had fallen in the playground while holding a wooden pole in his hand on the day of the presentation. After that, the mother noticed that her child was "different" than usual and that he was breathing differently than usual. The mother went to another clinic and was then discharged without further diagnostics because of unspecific symptoms. Feeling that her child was different than usual, the mother went to the emergency room again. On admission, the child showed no abnormalities, in particular no signs of infection or stridor. Only a slight under-ventilation of the lung on the left was found on auscultation. The medical history did not raise any suspicion of aspiration. For further clarification because of the non-specific symptoms and questionable insufficient ventilation of the left lung, a chest x-ray was carried out. A foreign body was found in the left main bronchus with almost complete obstruction. The emergency bronchoscopy was then carried out, which revealed a small stone in the left main bronchus with almost complete obstruction. The foreign body was completely removed. There was no other foreign body on either side.

Conclusion A complete obstruction of the main bronchus does not necessarily have to be initially symptomatic. Therefore, a thorough anamnesis and the impression of the parents are of crucial importance, especially for children with non-specific complaints.

Publication History

Article published online:
12 May 2023