Key words
Plastic Bronchitis, Preterm Infant, Wheezing
Plastic bronchitis in a toddler born preterm
AbstractPlastic bronchitis is identified by the presence of branching mucoid
bronchial casts that obstruct airways. It is an uncommon condition,
which was more described in lung disease and post-surgery congenital
heart disease. We reported a case of a 26-month-old boy born at
29+6 weeks who presented with cough, wheezing and
respiratory distress secondary to atelectasis of the left lung. After
admission, the patient was treated with intravenous injection of
azithromycin and methylprednisolone, inhaled bronchodilators, inhaled
budesonide with short-acting beta-agonists and inhaled nebulized
N-acetylcysteine. Dramatically, the patient expelled large casts,
shaping as the tracheobronchial tree after a severe cough just on the
night before the bronchoscopy. In toddlers who were born preterm with
recurrent wheezing, the discharge of airway mucus secretion is altered,
and the possibility of bronchial plastics needs to be alert.