Comparison between pulmonary emphysema and chronic bronchitis: an assessment by selective alveolo-bronchography.
In order to elucidate the interrelationship between pulmonary emphysema and chronic bronchitis, 23 adult patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease were examined during life by selective alveolo-bronchography. They were classified according to radiologic criteria as centrilobular or panlobular emphysema or chronic bronchitis and according to clinical criteria as A, B or X types. A and B clinical types proposed by Burrows and Fletcher were almost in agreement respectively with emphysema and chronic bronchitis based on x-ray criteria. However, no correlation between A-type and panlobular emphysema or between B-type and centrilobular emphysema were observed. Centrilobular emphysema was diagnosed in 4 patients who had no history of findings of bronchitis. This suggests that inflammation of airways is not necessarily a cause of centrilobular emphysema. As a result, selective alveolo-bronchography was thought to be useful method to diagnose the type and severity of emphysema.
D000368:Aged; D001991:Bronchitis / Q000150:complications / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D001995:Bronchography / Q000379:methods; D002908:Chronic Disease; D003937:Diagnosis, Differential; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008173:Lung Diseases, Obstructive / Q000209:etiology; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011656:Pulmonary Emphysema / Q000150:complications / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*