THE ETIOLOGY OF BRONCHIECTASIS AND CYSTIC DISEASE OF THE LUNG EXPLANATION BY THE PNEUMATISATION MECHANISM OF AN AIR CELL SYSTEM

Abstract

A pneumatic cell system is consisted of two different processes of pneumatization; antrum- and cell-formation. Since a cell-formation in the lung is likely to play a main role, antrum can not be seen in the lung, but in the maxillary sinus only a antrum-formation is demonstrated. According to Goto's opinion, a antrum-formation is a primitive process and a cell-formation is, on the contrary, a highly progressed process of the pneumatisation mechanism.Cystic disease of the lung might occur under limitted development of alveolar septa. This phenomenon has been seen frequently in the mastoid cell system, but rarely in the lung, and is of interest to clinicians. It is incorrect to call it cyst or cystic disease, and for this reason authors advocated the name “ANTRUM DUE TO UNDERDEVELOPMENT OF THE LUNG”. A true cyst would occur very rarely in a pneumatic cavity, where a cell-formation is prominent, as mastoid cell or lung, while in antrum of the paranasal sinus it occurs more frequently.The condition which causes bronchiectasis most of the cases, whether it was aquired or congenital, seems to be atelectasis of the lung. Apneumatic condition of the lung result an obstruction of the terminal end of bronchus and consequently it changes the terminal bronchus, pneumatic cannal, into a pneumatic cavity, which is characterized by the gradual development of its size.For this reason, when the end of the terminal bronchus is obstructed, it grows gradually until it forms various shapes, even if the obstruction is caused by an inflammation of the area and not by atelectasis.In twenty cases of bronchiectasis mastoid cells and paranasal sinuses have been studied rentgenologically and an underdeveloped pneumatization in the head bone pneumatic cavities were found in cases in which bronchiectasis is spread to all area of one or both lungs and not localized in one lobe. From this result authors concluded that bronchiectasis of these cases might be caused by limitted pneumatization of alveoles as a manifesta tion of a general constitution.