Paediatric ENT | Flashcards
How do patients with foreign bodies in their ears usually present? (5)
- Deafness
- Discharge
- Bleeding
- Pain
- Intense irritation if insect
How can foreign bodies be removed from the ears? (6)
- Wax hook
- Croc forceps (not for beads)
- Suction
- Oil/alcohol to kill buzzing insects
- Syringing best avoided
- ?GA if uncooperative
What foreign body in particular need immediate removal?
Batteries
How can a child with a foreign body in their nose present? (3)
- Foul smelling unilateral nasal discharge
- Unilateral nasal obstruction
- Vestibulitis or epistaxis a few weeks later
What is a foul smelling unilateral nasal discharge diagnosed as until proven otherwise?
Foreign body in nose
What should be ascertained in the history of a child with suspected foreign body in his nose? (4)
- Which side
- Number of objects
- Time
- Symptoms
What is the management of foreign bodies in the nose? (3)
- “Parental kiss”: parent blows fast into child’s mouth while occluding good nostril
- Wax hook/ Jobson probe/suction as tolerated
- May need GA - to check further back in nose
-check for 2nd foreign body
What are the 5 symptoms suggestive of a swallowed foreign body?
- Sudden discomfort on eating
- Inability to finish the meal
- Severe pain at rest and/or swallowing
- Referred earache
- Coins stuck at cricopharyngeus = complete dysphagia, drooling and distressed
What are 2 useful signs of a swallowed foreign body?
- Flinching on swallowing
2. Pooling of saliva in the hypopharynx on indirect laryngoscopy
What 3 investigations can be done for a swallowed foreign body?
- History and examination of the tonsillar fossae with a tongue depressor and light
- Indirect laryngoscopy
- X-ray - can be misleading because calcification of the laryngeal cartilages and other structures can be misinterpreted
At what structures/level do foreign bodies often lodge at? 5
- Tonsils - esp fish bones
- Oesophagus - esp meat bones
Level:
- Cricopharyngeus -esp coins
- Arch of aorta
- Oesophageal cardia
What investigation should not be done for the investigation of a swallowed foreign body?
Barium swallow
What is the management of a swallowed foreign body where there are minor symptoms after eating?
Can be managed conservatively i.e. If in the tonsil e.g. fish bone, can be removed with forceps
What are the 3 presenting features of an inhaled foreign body in a child?
- An acute dyspnoeic attack followed by coughing bouts
- May be wheezing
- Occasionally, bloody sputum
Which area of the airways are objects most likely to fall into?
Right main bronchus - more vertical and wider
What 3 investigations would be done for an inhaled foreign body? What would it show?
- Hx and examination
- X-ray
-may show a collapse
or
-hyperinflation due to ball-valve effect (air goes in and gets trapped) - Bronchoscopy - urgent
- need to make sure a lung abscess does not develop
On what grounds would you use to decide whether a patient needs rigid bronchoscopy for a suspected inhaled body? (3)
If 2/3 of the following are positive:
- Hx
- Exam
- CXR
What 3 types of stridor come from pathology of which parts of the larynx?
- Supraglottic and above = inspiratory stridor
- Glottic = inspiratory or biphasic
- Subglottic = biphasic or expiratory
What are the most common differentials for stridor in the following age groups?
- Newborn
- Weeks old
- Months old
- Intubated NNU/PICU
- Years old
- Newborn: Vocal cord motion impairment
- Weeks old: laryngomalacia (haemangioma)
- Months old: recurrent respiratory papillomatosis
- Intubated NNU / PICU child: subglottic stenosis
- Years old: croup, epiglottitis, foreign body
How common is vocal cord motion impairment in paediatrics?
In what position are the vocal cords?
2nd most common cause of stridor in neonates
In the middle
What does a bilateral/unilateral vocal cord motion impairment indicate about the pathology and investigations?
Bilateral = probably CNS/idiopathic
-Need scan
Unilateral = probably iatrogenic/(PNS)
What fraction of neonates with vocal cord motion impairment will recover in movement at least partially?
2/3
What % of neonates with vocal cord motion impairment will need a trachy?
50%
What is laryngomalacia?
How common is it?
Congenital abnormality of the laryngeal cartilage resulting in collapse of the supraglottic structures (ariepiglottic folds) leading to airway obstruction during inspiration
Most common congenital cause of stridor in children
What are the clinical features of laryngomalacia?
Inspiratory stridor:
- worse with feed
- worse with prone position
- agitation
How is laryngomalacia diagnosed?
Flexiscope diagnosis: folded epiglottis and short aryepiglottic folds
What is the course/management of laryngomalacia?
Self-resolving for some, if child is well, do nothing as they will grow out of it in 1-2 years
Some may need a supraglottoplasty
What is an hemangioma?
A benign tumor formed by a collection of excess blood vessels. Can occur on skin or extra-cutaneously e.g. on subglottis
What is the course of a hemangioma (4)?
- Rapid growth during first few months of life
- Involution over next 2-3 years
- 50% also have cutaneous haemangioma (beard distribution)
- Can lead to airway compromise -> tracheostomy
What type of stridor usually occurs with an haemangioma?
Biphasic
What is the treatment of haemangiomas?
Propranolol
What is laryngeal papillomata or recurrent respiratory papillomatosis (RRP)?
HPV infections of the throat, in which benign tumors or papillomas form on the larynx or other areas of the respiratory tract that leads to audible changes in voice quality and narrowing of the airway
What is RRP caused by?
How is it often transmitted?
Infection with HPV 6 and 11
Often by vertical transmission (even with C-section)
What are the clinical features of RRP?
Husky voice
Airway obstruction
What is the treatment of RRP?
Repeated debulking until they grow out of it
What is a rare complication of RRP?
Malignant transformation
What is subglottic stenosis?
Congenital or acquired narrowing of the subglottic airway
What % of subglottic stenosis (SGS) are acquired?
95%
What is the main cause of acquired SGS?
Post-intubation
-The cricoid/subglottic area is the narrowest point of the airway, it is the only complete ring with delicate epithelium
What could indicate an subglottic oedema?
Failed extubation with stridor
Why would ENT need to be called for SGS?
Needed for endoscopic airway optimisation or tracheostomy
What age does croup usually affect?
6 months - 3 years
What age does epiglottitis usually affect in children?
2-7 years
What age does tracheitis usually affect?
Any
What age does foreign body obstruction usually affect?
1-3 years
Is the onset of croup gradual or sudden?
Gradual
Is the onset of epiglottitis gradual or sudden?
Sudden
Is the onset of tracheitis gradual or sudden?
Gradual
Is the onset of foreign body causing airway obstruction gradual or sudden?
Sudden
How is swallowing affected in croup?
Not affected
How is swallowing affected in epiglottitis?
Drooling
How is swallowing affected in tracheitis?
Difficult
How is swallowing affected in foreign bodies causing airway obstruction?
Affected
What type of fever is present in a child with croup?
Mild
What type of fever is present in a child with epiglottitis?
Toxic
What type of fever is present in a child with tracheitis?
Toxic
What type of fever is present in a child with foreign body causing airway obstruction?
None/mild
What noises are heard with croup?
Barking
Stridor
What noises are heard with epiglottits?
Muffled voice
Soft tridor
What noises are heard with tracheitis?
Barking
Stridor/wheeze
What noises are heard with foreign bodies causing airway obstruction?
?wheeze
What is laryngotracheobronchitis (croup)?
What is the main causative organism of croup?
Infective conditions affecting larynx in children
Parainfluenza virus
What is the pathophysiology of airway obstruction associated with croup?
Oedema and vascular engorgement of airways, particularly of subglottis
What are the clinical features of croup (3)?
- Begins with a low-grade RTI
- Then insipratory stridor with general deterioration and toxicity
- Then brassy cough like a bark of a dog
When is croup life threatening?
Inspiratory stridor with recession - signals significant subglottic oedema
What is the presentation of acute epiglottitis (4)?
- Septic/pyrexial (>38oC)
- Drooling
- Leaning forward
- Stridor
What is the life threatening aspect of acute epiglottitis?
From airway obstruction and respiratory arrest
What is the most common causative agent of acute epiglottitis?
Bacteria - Haemophilis influenzae type b (Hib)
What is the pathophysiology of the airway obstruction in acute epiglottitis?
Hib causes marked erythema and oedema of the epiglottis and often extends onto the larynx
What are the cardinal features of acute epiglottitis in children (5)?
- May start as an URTI
- Child is unwell, toxic, lethargic and febrile (38oC)
- Young children DROOL as it is too painful to swallow
- Leaning forward
- Stridor can develop rapidly and can be rapidly followed by respiratory arrest