Role of bronchoalveolar lavage in hospitalized pediatric patients.

Bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) has been shown to be a rapid, relatively safe, and relatively noninvasive diagnostic procedure. Theoretically, BAL can be performed on all children hospitalized for pneumonia resistant to oral antibiotics, though practically and economically, this is not feasible. A 1-year retrospective review was conducted to define a cost-effective role for BAL in the management of hospitalized children with resistant pneumonia.

Temporal bone fibrous dysplasia and cholesteatoma leading to the development of a parapharyngeal abscess.

Monostotic fibrous dysplasia of the temporal bone is a rare disease entity that may lead to progressive stenosis of the external auditory canal with resultant trapping of skin and the development of cholesteatoma. The cholesteatoma may extend widely into the temporal bone. Once cholesteatoma occupies the petrous apex, erosion out of the temporal bone can occur superiorly into the middle fossa, posteriorly into the posterior fossa, inferiorly into the neck, and infero-medially into the parapharyngeal space.