Rigid pediatric bronchoscopy for bronchial foreign bodies with and without Hopkins telescope

This study was undertaken to evaluate the merits and demerits of pediatric bronchoscopy with or without the use of Hopkins telescope in 60 pediatric patients at the Otolaryngology clinic of tertiary level teaching hospital. Group-I comprised of 30 children who underwent a non-telescopic procedure, while Group-II included another 30 who went through a telescopic-guided removal using standard forceps. It was observed that due to better illumination, higher optical resolution and magnification owing to the use of the telescope, foreign body removal using this technique was completed with minimal complications. The precision in foreign body removal using telescopic-guided procedure in Group-II cases was immense though the operative time in comparison to the non-telescopic one was found to be statistically higher (P = 0.0019). This group also had a shorter hospital stay. The use of standard forceps in place of optical forceps gave an easier maneuverability through small-sized pediatric bronchoscopes, thereby giving an edge over the latter.