BACKGROUND Cough is the most common symptom presenting to doctors. The quality of cough (productive or wet vs dry) is used clinically as well as in epidemiology and clinical research. There is however no data on the validity of cough quality descriptors. The study aims were to compare (1) cough quality (wet/dry and brassy/non-brassy) to bronchoscopic findings of secretions and tracheomalacia re...

Upper airways disease is seen in 50-80% of necropsies in patients dying with rheumatoid arthritis.' Most commonly the larynx is affected by synovitis of the cricoarytenoid joints, producing structural and functional changes with hoarseness, dyspnoea and sore throat. Submucosal granulomas in the postcricoid and subhyoid regions are associated with oedema and fibrosis producing substantial suprag...

Tracheal rupture is a rare complication of endotracheal intubation. Risk factors include short neck, repeated attempts due to failed intubation, inappropriate stylus, over-inflation of the cuff, poor positioning of the tube, inappropriate tube size, weakened membrane structure due to steroid use, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, tracheomalacia, kyphosis, and use of nitric oxide during the...

Primary tracheal amyloidosis (PTA) can lead to airway obstructions, and patients with severe PTA should undergo bronchoscopic interventions in order to maintain airway patency. Focal airway involvements with amyloidosis can only be treated with mechanical dilatation. However, the PTA with diffused airway involvements and concomitant cartilage destructions requires stent placement. Limited infor...

The ProSeal laryngeal mask airway (PLMA) is a relatively new airway device with design features that improve the quality of positive pressure ventilation (PPV) and may decrease the risk of gastric aspiration. We describe the use of this device for the anesthesia management of an infant with an esophagocutaneous fistula following repair of an H-type tracheoesophageal fistula and tracheomalacia, ...

A 67-year-old female chronic smoker was evaluated for an asymptomatic right paratracheal mass and the diagnosis of double-arch aorta was made. She returned 2 years later with dyspnoea on exertion, productive cough and wheeze on lying supine. Flow volume curve showed variable intrathoracic airway obstruction, and bronchoscopy revealed extrinsic compression of the trachea by double-arch aorta wit...

Achalasia is an uncommon oesophageal motor disorder characterized by failure of relaxation of the lower oesophageal sphincter and muscle hypertrophy, resulting in a loss of peristalsis and a dilated oesophagus. Gastrointestinal symptoms are invariably present in all cases of achalasia observed in adults. We report a case of a 34 year-old female patient with long standing history of asthma-like ...

Saccular cysts in infants are rare lesions of the larynx and may result in respiratory obstruction and severe dyspnea. Herein we present a case of saccular cyst in a three-month-old infant. She was presented with severe stridor and respiratory distress. She had been followed with the diagnosis of tracheomalacia for three months elsewhere. Direct laryngoscopy of the larynx revealed a saccular cy...

A typical patient with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease has small airway disease, which often responds to bronchodilators. If the patient is obese, he or she may be further compromised and not tolerate being in the supine position. We present a case of a patient with history of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and obstructive sleep apnea with acute renal failure and urosepsis schedule...

Congenital esophageal atresia (EA) and/or tracheoesophageal fistula (TEF) are common congenital anomalies. Respiratory and GI complications occur frequently, and may persist lifelong. Late complications of EA/TEF include tracheomalacia, a recurrence of the TEF, esophageal stricture, and gastroesophageal reflux. These complications may lead to a brassy or honking-type cough, dysphagia, recurrent...