Endobronchial foreign body extraction - A new interventional approach

Endobronchial foreign bodies are often difficult to diagnose as the cause o f obstructive pneumonias and atelectasis, but once discovered, they can gen erally be removed, leading to immediate and dramatic resolution of symptoms . The use of flexible fiberoptic and rigid bronchoscopy to extract foreign bodies is well-known. Thoracotomy is generally reserved as a last resort du e to the inherent risks of the procedure. We describe a new technique for f oreign body removal utilizing steerable hydrophilic guidewires, standard sh eaths, and a snare device commonly utilized in intravascular foreign body r etrieval.