Bronchoscopic removal of foreign bodies from children in Bosnia and Herzegovina: experience with 230 patients.

Objectives: To present the experience from an emerging country, in the bronchoscopic removal of foreign bodies in children.

Methods: Retrospective analysis of medical records from 230 patients treated at the ENT Department, Tuzla University Hospital, Bosnia and Herzegovina, between January 1987 and December 1998.

Results: Positive bronchoscopic findings were present in 136 (59.

Retrospective analysis of pectoralis major myocutaneous flap surgeries performed under war conditions.

Aim: To present our experiences in using a pectoralis major myocutaneous flap in the reconstruction of surgically created defects of the neck and lower part of the head during the war in Bosnia and Herzegovina.

Methods: Retrospective analysis of medical records from 15 patients treated at the ENT Department, Tuzla University Hospital, between January 1992 and December 1996.

Results: Ten flaps were prepared during basic operation ("one step reconstruction of defect") and five flaps three weeks after the removal of tumor (postoperative pharyngocutaneous fistula was the reason for secondary flap preparation).

Penetrating injuries of heart and great vessels in patients wounded during the 1992-1994 war in Bosnia and Herzegovina.

Aim: To present characteristics of heart and great vessel injuries in patients wounded during the 1992-1994 war in Bosnia and Herzegovina and their management in conditions of lack of complex diagnostic and therapeutic procedures.

Methods: Retrospective analysis was performed on the medical records of 31 patients treated for cardiac and great vessel injuries at the Department of Surgery, Tuzla University Hospital, between January 1992 and December 1994.

Results: The most frequent localization of the injuries was the right and left ventricles (each 10 cases), left atrium in 5, superior caval vein in 5, and inferior caval vein in 5 cases.

Treatment of penetrating chest injuries during the 1992-1995 war in Bosnia and Herzegovina.

Aim: To assess the need for and significance of immediate thoracotomy compared to conservative treatment (thoracostomy and/or thoracocentesis) of penetrating chest injuries.

Methods: Retrospective analysis was performed on medical records of 743 war wounded patients treated for chest injuries in the Department of Surgery, University Hospital Tuzla, between January 1992 and December 1995. Minimally invasive (tissue saving) surgery was the most frequent method applied, which usually included sutures of the lungs after débridment of margins and hemostasis, followed by atypical resection.