The development of asthma after tracheobronchial aspiration of a foreign body.

To evaluate whether a tracheobronchial foreign body (TBFB) itself or its removal by bronchoscopy with the patient under general anesthesia predisposed children to asthma, we surveyed 58 children who had a TBFB removed at the Mayo Clinic between 1970 and 1978. A control group included children who had undergone tonsillectomy or adenoidectomy. Asthma developed in four children in each group. Children with a TBFB do not seem to be predisposed to the development of asthma.