Presentation
Respiratory distress.
Patient Data
Age: 5 years
Gender: Male
From the case:
Inhaled foreign body
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The left hemithorax is more lucent than the right hemithorax, with mediastinal shift to the right, more widely spaced ribs, and ipsilateral flattening of the hemidiaphragm. A faint rounded opacity is noted in the left main bronchus.
Case Discussion
Bronchoscopy confirmed a foreign body (peanut).
Foreign body inhalation is common in pediatric population. Partial bronchial obstruction causes a ball-valve mechanism that leads to progressive pulmonary expansion, increased lucency, and contralateral mediastinal shift.