[Indications and methods for rhino-pharyngo-laryngeal fibroscopy in children]

Flexible rhinopharyngolaryngoscopy (RFL) has now definitively replaced rigid endoscopy in the diagnosis of VADS in children owing to its ease of use and handling, also in the case of patients who are not wholly cooperative. RFL also enables the morphology and laryngeal function to be evaluated in children without risks for the patient provided the operator complies with a few simple precautions during diagnosis. During elective diagnosis, the patient must be in a fasting state and must not present uncompensated coagulopathies. The main indications for RFL are dyspnea, dysphonia and stridor, given that the VADS regions can be easily displayed. The current limits of this method are the impossibility of allowing therapeutic interventions and the impossibility of passing beyond the glottic level without local anesthesia.