A 3-year-old boy presented with shortness of breath, coughing, and wheezing after choking while eating. An x-ray showed his left lung was overinflated. During a bronchoscopy under anesthesia, doctors removed a complete sunflower seed lodged in his left main stem bronchus, causing the blockage. After the procedure, the boy recovered smoothly.

1. ‫الرحيم‬ ‫الرحمن‬ ‫هللا‬ ‫بسم‬
A Complete Sunflower Seed
in the Left Main Stem
Bronchus of a Child
Prof. Abdulsalam Y Taha
College of Medicine
University of Sulaimani
2022
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2. The Case
 A 3-years old boy presented
himself with shortness of breath,
repetitive cough and wheeze one
day after an episode of chocking
while eating. He was admitted to
Sulaymaniyah Teaching Hospital,
Sulaymaniyah, Iraq on 15th of July
2007 with a suspicion of foreign
body (FB) inhalation.
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3. The Case…
 CXR showed hyperinflation of the
left lung (obstructive
emphysema). Rigid bronchoscopy
under general anesthesia (GA)
revealed a complete sunflower
seed in the left main stem
bronchus (LMB) which was
extracted by forceps. Post-
bronchoscopy course was smooth.
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6. Comment
 Sunflower seed is a very common
organic foreign body inhaled by our
children.
 The (obstructive emphysema) of the
left lung in this case is a radiological
sign due to the presence of a FB in
the left bronchial tree acting as a
check valve allowing the inspired air
to pass but preventing the egress of
the exhaled air. 6