Incidence of Bronchoscopic Common Variations and Congenital Malformations in Tracheobronchial Tree among Egyptians

Abstract

Flexible bronchoscopy is a well established procedure in pulmonary medicine. Bronchoscopy use may be diagnostic or therapeutic. It may be used to examine and help diagnose: diseases of the lung, such as cancer or tuberculosis, congenital deformity of the lungs, suspected tumor, obstruction, secretion, bleeding, or foreign body in the airways. Bronchoscopy may also be used for the following therapeutic purposes: to remove a foreign body in the lungs, to remove excessive secretions can also be used to collect biopsies, or bronchial lavage (Collins et al., 1987). Recognition of tracheobronchial variations (TBVs) and congenital malformations can provide important benefits in bronchoscopic processes, pulmonary resection, intubation process, and endobronchial therapy. Knowledge of tracheobronchial anatomy is a key factor in determining proper position of lung-isolation devices and double-lumen endotracheal tubes (Beder et al., 2008). The current study was conducted at bronchoscopy unit in chest department Ain Shams university hospital in the period between June 2013 to April 2014. Two hundred patients were recruited in the study to detect the incidence of bronchoscopic common variations and congenital malformations in trachea-bronchial tree among Egyptians. The age group involved in the study was from 1 year old to 84 year old with mean age 45 years old, they were 145 male (72%), and 55 female (28%). The patients involved in the study underwent bronchoscope for many different indications, the most common indication was left lung mass (29) cases 14.5%. There was a highly significant relationship between the age group and indications of bronchoscopy. The most common indication in age group less than 30 years old was foreign aspiration (12 cases) 25.5 % of indications in this age group.