Surgical treatment of awn aspiration causing bronchopleural fistula and bronchiectasis: case reports

Aspiration of grass inflorescences is an extremely rare phenomenon with potential diagnostic difficulties. Due to its special shape, each coughing and respiratory action helps its migration towards the periphery of lung, resulting late-onset, life-threatening complications. The diagnosis has some difficulties for the reason that soon after the aspiration initial symptoms, such as coughing, wheezing or vomiting disappear and bronchoscopy is mostly negative. At least serious complications such as tension pneumothorax, bronchopleurocutaneous fistula or even spontaneous percutan elimination may develope.

We present two cases of pleuropneumonia resulting from aspiration of the head of barley grass. Soon after the accidents initial symptoms diminished, inflammatory markers improved and bronchoscopy was unable to confirm the presence of awn. Despite of conservative treatment (antibiotics, physiotherapy, bronchodilators, expectorants, and inhalation) localized pulmonary inflammation developed after 1 and 9 months showed up on chest computed tomography. After ineffective conservative treatment, surgical resections became inevitable in order to remove chronically inflamed parts (lobectomy, segmentectomy) and foreign bodies. Both patients recovered and were discharged home after successful interventions.

Due to its peculiar shape and behaviour, awn inhalation is a special and atypical form of aspiration, thus great care and awareness is needed in its treatment. Negative bronchoscopic result does not exclude the presence of bronchial grass head. Symptomless child with negative bronchoscopy and improved inflammatory markers should be followed up thoroughly to recognize late complications in time. Regular diagnostic steps (chest ultrasound/X-ray) should be performed to localize potential chronic lung inflammation. Chest computed tomography is a valuable diagnostic tool for identifying and localising the foreign body. In cases with localized inflammation and peripheric localisation, segmentectomy can be a successful and safe alternative of lobectomy.