Journal of Clinical Case Reports

Bronchiectasis and its Main Radiological Findings: What the General Practitioner Needs to Know

Abstract

Antonio Lourenço Santos de Carvalho*, Americo Mota, Aquino Santana and Rafael Valois

Introduction: Bronchiectasis is defined as an irreversible abnormal dilatation of the bronchial tree and is divided into bronchiectasis secondary to cystic fibrosis and bronchiectasis not associated with cystic fibrosis, presents with recurrent chest infections, productive cough for more than 8 weeks, production of large amounts of sputum and hemoptysis, as in many other lung diseases, there are repeated exacerbations of symptoms. High-resolution computed tomography (CT) of the chest is the most accurate modality for diagnosis.

Objective: To identify the main radiological findings related to bronchiectasis described in the literature. Methods: This is a literature review study by collecting data from bibliographic references available in the U.S. National Library of Medicine (PubMed) database. The inclusion criteria established for the selection of articles were articles that focused on the topic of bronchiectasis, radiological findings of this pathology, its causes and classification, published from 2018 to 2022. The exclusion criteria were: texts not available in full, consensus and guidelines.

Results and Discussion: After the evaluation of the studies and the application of the inclusion and exclusion criteria, 8 articles were separated, which best answered the guiding question; of these articles, 5 address well the diagnostic criteria and definition of bronchiectasis according to radiological findings, and the other studies complement additional findings found in the pathology and radiological characteristics according to its classification.

Conclusion: The present material presented the most current information on the subject, as well as the main radiological findings necessary for general practitioners to diagnose and classify bronchiectasis.