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A retrospective review of 88 cases of foreign body aspiration was undertaken. The patients ranged in age from 5 months to 73 years; the peak incidences of foreign body aspiration occurred in children less than 3 years of age and in adults older than 50 years. Sixty-one of the 88 patients were male. Physical examination was abnormal in 61% of patients. The most common radiographic abnormality was inspiratory-expiratory abnormality, seen in 27% of patients. Rigid endoscopy under general anesthesia was the preferred method for removal of the aspirated material. Multiple foreign bodies were found in 5% of the patients. Tracheobronchial foreign bodies should, therefore, be strongly suspected in susceptible patient populations who present with a suggestive history, even when no physical or radiographic evidence can be seen. Patients should be carefully examined for multiple foreign bodies at the time of rigid endoscopic removal.

Endoscopic laser resection of early (T1) laryngeal carcinoma has been advocated as an alternative to radiotherapy. Heretofore, the voice characteristics following this procedure have been addressed in only one review, which included patients treated by irradiation and laser resection. We present the first review of voice findings in 22 patients treated only by endoscopic laser resection of their vocal cord carcinomas. Laser resection of selected vocal cord carcinomas produced voice function results acceptable to the patients and was rated by them to be normal to almost normal. Speech pathologists rated the voices to be near-normal to mildly abnormal. Voices after laser resection of vocal carcinoma exhibited a slightly higher fundamental frequency, a decrease in intensity and phonatory duration, and markedly higher laryngeal airway resistance. The percentage of voicing showed little deviation from normal, as did mean percentage of perturbations.

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