The airway

Abstract

The term bronchiectasis refers to chronic irreversible dilatation of diseased bronchi. There are many causes of bronchiectasis and the entity should be considered as the final outcome of a number of mechanisms, rather than as a simple diagnostic label.6 Because the definition of bronchiectasis is a morphologic one, imaging has a key role in its identification. Over the years, imaging tests have become increasingly accurate in depicting the features of early bronchiectasis. The sensitivity of high-resolution CT (HRCT) contrasts starkly with the limited ability of plain chest radiography to detect even advanced bronchiectasis. HRCT represents a great improvement over previous imaging techniques, but problems with specificity and observer variation remain. New insights into the functional consequences of bronchiectasis are now being provided by HRCT. It seems probable that HRCT will remain the imaging test of choice for the detection of bronchiectasis over the next few years. This article covers the clinical, pathologic, and functional features of bronchiectasis, HRCT technique, the signs of bronchiectasis on chest radiography and HRCT, and causes of misdiagnosis of bronchiectasis.