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Case 2 - Tracheal bronchus

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  07 October 2011

By
Thomas Hartman
Edited by
Thomas Hartman
Thomas Hartman
Affiliation:
Mayo Clinic, Rochester
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Summary

Imaging description

Tracheal bronchus is an uncommon anomaly in which an ectopic bronchus arises from the trachea above the carina. It can occur on either side, but is more common on the right. On CT imaging, a bronchus is seen arising from the trachea cephalad to the carina [1–3] (Figures 2.1 and 2.2). This can be easily seen on axial sections, but coronal imaging displays the tracheal bronchus to best advantage (Figure 2.3).

Importance

A tracheal bronchus to the right upper lobe occurs in 0.1–2% of cases and to the left upper lobe in 0.3–1% of cases. Typically a tracheal bronchus is an incidental finding on CT chest in an adult patient and is asymptomatic. However, a tracheal bronchus can be associated with symptoms. When symptomatic, the tracheal bronchus usually presents in childhood [4, 5].

Type
Chapter
Information
Pearls and Pitfalls in Thoracic Imaging
Variants and Other Difficult Diagnoses
 , pp. 4 - 5
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Print publication year: 2011

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References

Ghaye, BSzapiro, DFanchamps, J-MDondelinger, RFCongenital bronchial abnormalities revisitedRadiographics 2001 21 105CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Shipley, RTMcLoud, TCDedrick, CGShepard, JACComputed tomography of the tracheal bronchusJ Comput Assist Tomogr 1985 9 53CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Lee, KSBae, WKLee, BHBronchovascular anatomy of the upper lobes: evaluation with thin-section CTRadiology 1991 181 765CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Middleton, RMLittleton, JTBrickey, DAPicone, ALObstructed tracheal bronchus as a cause of post-obstructive pneumoniaJ Thorac Imaging 1995 10 223CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
McLaughlin, FJStrieder, DJHarris, GBCVawter, GPEraklis, AJTracheal bronchus: association with respiratory morbidity in childhoodJ Pediatr 1985 106 751CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed

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