Foreign body aspiration is common and potentially life threatening. Although rigid bronchoscopy has the potential for serious complications, it is the ‘gold standard’ of diagnosis. It is used frequently in light of the inaccuracy of clinical examination and chest radiography. Computed tomography is proposed as a non-invasive alternative to rigid bronchoscopy.

This study aimed to evaluate the accuracy and safety of computed tomography used in the diagnosis of suspected foreign body aspiration, and compare this with the current gold standard, in order to examine the possibility of using computed tomography to reduce the number of diagnostic rigid bronchoscopies performed.

The study comprised a review of literature published from 1970 to 2013, using the PubMed, Scopus, Web of Knowledge, Embase and Medline electronic databases.

The sensitivity for computed tomography ranged between 90 and 100 per cent, with four studies demonstrating 100 per cent sensitivity. Specificity was between 75 and 100 per cent. Radiation exposure doses averaged 2.16 mSv.

Computed tomography is a sensitive and specific modality in the diagnosis of foreign body aspiration, and its future use will reduce the number of unnecessary rigid bronchoscopies.