A case of recurrent respiratory infection resulting from a congenital anomaly of the bronchial tree tracheal bronchus

Abstract

= Abstract = The term tracheal bronchus refers to an abnormal bronchus that comes directly off of the lateral wall of the trachea (above the carina and supplies ventilation to the upper lobe. Tracheal bronchi occur almost exclusively on the right trachea and are associated with other congenital anomalies. In addition tracheai bronchus may be related to other inflammatory conditions with persistent wheezing such as recurrent pneumonia chronic bronchitis and bronchiectasis which is a result of the relatively poor local drainage of the involved bronchi. An infant with recurrent wheezing is likely to be a challenge for a clinician in the evaluation of the etiology of airway obstruction and in the differential diagnosis of wheezy breathing. The authors report a case of an 8-month-old female infant with a ventricular septal defect who presented with stridor and recurrent respiratory infection and finally was finally diagnosed with a tracheal bronchus using computed tomography and a bronchoscopy. Therefore tracheal bronchus should be included in the differential diagnosis of any child who presents with chronic or recurrent respiratory tract symptoms such as coughing wheezing stridor and recurrent respiratory infection particularly in children with other congenital deformities. (Korean J Pediatr 2008;51:660-664