OBJECTIVETo analyze the causes and the clinical characteristics of the neonatal inspiratory dyspnea; so to raise the diagnosis and cure rate of the disease.

METHODSEleven new born infants with severe inspiratory dyspnea were investigated from March, 2001 to June, 2004 in Shenzhen children's hospital. Six infants were male and 5 were female. The average age was 7.2 days ( range from 8 hours to 28 days). Four cases were hospitalized with trachea intubation. Three of them can not cry, and 2 cases were diagnosed as bilateral vocal cord paralysis, 1 case as multiple cranial nerve palsy with direct laryngoscopy. Two cases couldn't drink milk continuously and accompanied with deteriorated inspiratory dyspnea, and were diagnosed as congenital adenoid hypertrophy and neonatal rhinitis respectively with compute tomography and magnetic resonance imaging. Among the 6 cases with persistent inspiratory dyspnea, four of them were diagnosed as congenital laryngocele by direct laryngoscope, one case was diagnosed as subglottic stenosis by tracheoscopy and one case was confirmed to be thoracic tracheostenosis when tracheotomy performed.

RESULTSFour congenital laryngoceles and one case congenital adenoid hypertrophy were cured with surgery. Two bilateral vocal cord paralysies and one case of subglottic stenosis received tracheotomy. One neonatal rhinitis case applied 0.25% ephedrine. One case of thoracal tracheostenosis died. The parents of the infant with multiple cranial nerve palsy refused to accept any treatment.

CONCLUSIONSThe laryngoscope examination is recommended for patients with neonatal inspiratory dyspnea. It is necessary for patients with persistent dyspnea to be examined by tracheoscopy as early as possible.