ECR 2013 Rec: C. Cystic fibrosis and other bronchiectatic diseases #RC1904 #A618
A-618 C. Cystic fibrosis and other bronchiectatic diseases
M.U. Puderbach | Monday, March 11, 16:00 – 17:30 / Room I/K
Several different diseases go along with the development of bronchiectasis. Bronchiectasis may result from chronic infection, proximal airway obstruction, or congenital bronchial abnormality. In cystic fibrosis, bronchiectasis is one of the key features of lung involvement. Bronchiectasis can present with a variety of non-specific clinical symptoms, including hemoptysis, cough, and hypoxia. Bronchiectasis is defined as localized or diffuse irreversible dilatation of the cartilage-containing airways or bronchi. The imaging gold standard for bronchiectasis is thin-section CT. Morphologic criteria on thin-section CT scans include bronchial dilatation with respect to the accompanying pulmonary artery (signet ring sign), lack of tapering of bronchi, and identification of bronchi within 1 cm of the pleural surface. Bronchiectasis may be classified as cylindric, varicose, or cystic, depending on the appearance of the affected bronchi. It is often accompanied by bronchial wall thickening, mucoid impaction, and small-airways abnormalities. Besides CT, nowadays MRI of the lung is able to image the relevant morphological features of bronchiectasis. In addition, functional changes due to bronchiectasis can be studied.
