Diagnosis And Management In Broncholithiasis

Objective The purpose of this study was to evaluate the clinical features of broncholithiasis, ang the diagnostic and therapeutic role of some clinical techniques in patients with broncholithiasis, which include roentgenography, computed tomography(CT), and bronchoscopy. Methods Retrospectively reviewed the demographical characteristics, clinical symptoms, radiology features, and bronchoscopy results of patients with broncholithiasis who underwent bronchoscopy at Changhai Hospital between 2000 and 2007. Results Bronchoscopy revealed 24 broncholiths in 20 patients. Main symptoms include chronic cough, expectoration, hemoptysis, fever, breath lessness, and chest pain. 22 broncholiths of 18 patients were attempted to manage by flexible bronchoscope, and 18(81.8%) broncholiths were sucessfully removed. No complications in all patients. Conclusions Broncholithiasis is hard for clinical diagnose, and bronchoscopy is an important component in the diagnostic evaluation of broncholithiasis. Flexible bronchoscopic extraction of broncholiths can be considered safe and effective.