Rosary Bead as a Difficult Foreign Body to Extract from the Bronchus

two years old male child came to our service with complain of sudden onset of dry irritant cough. clinical examination demonstrate decrease air entry on the right side. chest X ray show a foreign body in the right main bronchus and a tunnel inside the FB. using Fogerty catheter inserting its tip inside the tunnel  then inflate the balloon  distal to FB and gentle withdrawal of the whole bronchoscopy system with it.

rosary beads is not uncommon foreign body to be aspirated in Egypt. the common problem arise as the edges of this FB is smooth with slipping edges and the size of it relative to child bronchus is big . that's why it become difficult to extract with usual bronchoscopic forcepes as no enough space to insert the forecepes around it and difficulty to catch its slipping edges. using the tunnel inside the beads to insert a Fogarty catheter then inflate the balloon and gentle withdrawal of the bronchoscopy system as one unit is an alternative apporach for this difficult FB to prevent patient from undergo an open bronchotomy to remove it.