Images in Clinical Medicine
Mucous Plug in the Bronchus Causing Lung Collapse
N Engl J Med 2002; 347:1079October 3, 2002
- Article
Figure 1 A 71-year-old woman with bronchiectasis was admitted with a two-week history of increasing shortness of breath and a cough productive of small amounts of yellow sputum. She had received antibiotics from her primary physician without clinically significant improvement. Her breathing had become suddenly worse on the day before admission. Chest radiography showed opacification of and volume loss in the right lung (Panel A). A chest radiograph obtained two weeks earlier had been normal except for changes indicative of bronchiectasis. Chest physiotherapy did not result in marked expectoration. Fiberoptic bronchoscopy revealed a large mucous plug completely occluding the right main bronchus (Panel B); rigid bronchoscopy was required to remove the plug. There were no underlying endobronchial lesions. The right lung fully expanded after the plug was removed (Panel C). The patient's breathing also improved substantially. Sputum culture showed only normal respiratory tract flora.
Suresh R. Nair, M.D., M.R.C.P.
Stanley B. Pearson, D.M., F.R.C.P.
Leeds General Infirmary, Leeds LS1 3EX, United Kingdom- Citing Articles (2)
Citing Articles
1
J Debnath, NK Jain, KM Adhikari, SK Shelley, A Vaidya, RA George. (2007) A child with respiratory distress having unilateral obstructive emphysema and contralateral opaque hemithorax on chest radiograph: Role of multi-detector computerized tomography with multi-planar reconstruction and virtual bronchoscopy. Australasian Radiology 51, B217-B220
CrossRef2
Li-Cher Loh. (2005) ???Unplugging??? of a Bronchial Occlusion With a Fatal Outcome. Journal of Bronchology 12:2, 108-110
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