PINS AT THE PERIPHERY OF THE LUNG: OBSERVATIONS BASED ON FORTY-TWO CASES

Abstract

By pins at the periphery of the lung we mean pins that, as foreign bodies, have invaded relatively minute bronchi. These cases constitute a class distinct from those in which the pin as a foreign body is lodged in the large bronchi, when bronchoscopic removal is quite simple. In the records of the Bronchoscopic Clinic there are 372 cases of pins of various kinds in the air and food passages. In 113 of these cases the pins were in the bronchi, and in 42 of the 113 the location of the intruder at the time of removal placed it in the peripheral class. The term "at the time of removal" refers to the fact that this kind of foreign body often works downward after the roentgen film is made and even on the bronchoscopic table. Full data on the cases will be found in the records of the clinics published