Foreign body aspiration presenting as life-threatening bronchial asthma

Abstract EN

A two-year-old male, a known case of bronchial asthma was admitted as a case of exacerbation of asthma.

He did not improve with standard treatment and required invasive ventilator support twice during his admission.

The chest x-rays only showed hyperinflation but CT scan of the thorax revealed a foreign body (a piece of Betel nut) lodged in the right main bronchus.

It was removed under bronchoscopic guidance.

A foreign body may not be radio-opaque and therefore may not be visible in chest x-ray.

The possibility of foreign body aspiration should always be considered in children presenting with an exacerbation of bronchial asthma.