Main bronchial diverticula in the subcarinal region: Their relation to airflow limitations

作者:Higuchi Takeshi*; Takahashi Naoya; Shiotani Motoi; Sato Suguru; Ohta Atsushi; Maeda Haruo; Nakajima Haruhiko; Itoh Kazuhiko; Tsukada Hiroki
来源:Acta Radiologica, 2012, 53(1): 44-48.
DOI:10.1258/ar.2011.110222

摘要

Background: To date, bronchial diverticula have generally been treated as a pathological condition associated with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), although only a limited amount of published information is available on the relationship between bronchial diverticula as depicted by multidetector computed tomography (MDCT) and airflow limitations.
Purpose: To evaluate the relationship between airflow limitations and main bronchial diverticula in the subcarinal region using spirometry and thin-section MDCT.
Material and Methods: A total of 189 consecutive adult patients were retrospectively evaluated based on spirometry and thin-section MDCT of the chest. All examinations were performed at our institution between June and October 2008. The study group included 70 women and 119 men with a mean age of 65 years (range 19-86 years). The relationship between the FEV1% and bronchial diverticula in the subcarinal region was analyzed (Student's t-test).
Results: The indications for conducting the examinations were pulmonary diseases (82 patients), cardiovascular diseases (22), extrapulmonary malignancies (74), and other conditions (11). A total of 84/189 (44.4%) patients showed bronchial diverticula, and the FEV1% of 70/84 (83.3%) patients was above 70. The FEV1% of patients with lesions ranged from 26.0 to 97.8 (mean 76.8), whereas the range was 28.1-94.4 (mean 73.7) in those without lesions. There was no significant association between the FEV1% and the presence of subcarinal bronchial diverticula (P > 0.05).
Conclusion: Our data demonstrate that thin-section chest CT commonly demonstrates main bronchial diverticula in the subcarinal region in patients without airflow limitations. We propose that the presence of a small number of tiny bronchial diverticula under the carina may not be a criterion for the diagnosis of COPD.

  • 出版日期2012-2

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