Consistently high levels of exhaled nitric oxide in children with asthma.

Background: Exhaled nitric oxide (eNO) levels in children are unstable because they are regulated by many potent factors. The purpose of the current study was to evaluate the reliability of eNO levels between a long interval and other lung functions in normal and asthmatic children.

Methods: Eighty-three elementary school children (aged 11-12 years; male : female, 39 : 44) participated in this study.

A case of accidental ingestion of a salbutamol sulfate inhalant, Venetlin®.

Pediatricians examine increasing numbers of children with bronchial asthma every year. In Japan, medical institutions can provide standardized therapies according to the Japanese Pediatric Guideline for the Treatment and Management of Asthma 2005. Inhalation therapy is highly beneficial, and a substantial proportion of patients choose to purchase inhalators and practice inhalation therapy at home.

Utility of virtual bronchoscopy in congenital tracheomalacia.

Utility of virtual bronchoscopy was evaluated in a case of congenital tracheomalacia by comparing virtual bronchoscopic images with those of fiberoptic bronchoscopy. Results indicate that virtual bronchoscopy is useful in diagnosing stationary lesions. However, its diagnostic value is inferior to that of fiberoptic bronchoscopy for mobile lesions, in that virtual bronchoscopy does not permit dynamic images.

Spontaneous expectoration of bronchial foreign body: a case report.

A nine-year-old girl with mental retardation accidentally swallowed an axle of a toy car and was urgently hospitalized with the diagnosis of left bronchial foreign body. While various monitors were installed and removal of the foreign body by a ventilating rigid bronchoscope was in preparation, the patient suddenly coughed and vomited, with the foreign body found in the vomit. When examining infant cases of air way foreign body, attention tends to be focused on the diagnosis and treatment.

Feasibility of fiberoptic bronchoscopy for small infants including newborns.

In pediatric practice, the application of fiberoptic bronchoscopy (FBS) has been limited to infants and children, primarily because the caliber of the available fiberscopes was too large for application to small babies including newborns. Recently, fiberscopes with thinner calibers were generated, prompting application of FBS to newborn patients. In the recent five years, we have utilized narrow-caliber FBS at the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit of the Tokai University Hospital.