Trakeal Divertikül: Rutin Göğüs Tomografisindeki Sıklığı ve Sigara Kullanımıyla İlişkisi

Abstract

Objective: To investigate the incidence of tracheal diverticula in routine chest tomog - raphy and the relation between the presence and size of the tracheal diverticulum and smoking. Ma- terial and Methods: The study included 2270 consecutive patients who underwent a thoracic computed tomography (CT) exam with Dual Source Tomography due to distinct pathological signs. The size, localization and configurations of the diverticulum were reviewed and the smoking habits of the patients were questioned followed by the classification of the subjects in 5 groups. The cor - relation between the presence and the size of the diverticulum and smoking was investigated with non-parametric statistical tests. Results: The tracheal diverticulum was determined in 119 (5.2%) patients. The size of the diverticulum varied significantly between the groups. Of the 119 patients with diverticulum, only 22 were non-smokers; the remaining 97 patients (81.5%) were smokers. Sta - tistical analyses revealed a clear correlation between smoking and diverticulum size. Diverticulum sizes increased in proportion with the severity of smoking. The largest diverticula were identified in the most intensive smoking group. Conclusion: This study suggests that the presence and size of the tracheal diverticulum increases proportionally with smoking and the size of the diverticula may be an indicator of smoking related damage.