Role of CT scan chest and fiber optic bronchoscopy in evaluating patients with hemoptysis and normal chest radiograph

---

Original Article

Author Details : Tenneti Poornima, Monisha Silla, Uppaluri S. Anand Swaroop

Volume : 2, Issue : 3, Year : 2017

Article Page : 82-85

Suggest article by email

Get Permission

---

Abstract

Introduction: To study the role of CT scan chest and fiber optic bronchoscopy in evaluating patients with hemoptysis and normal chest radiograph.
Materials and Method: 50 patients over the age of 15 years having hemoptysis with normal chest X ray in a government teaching hospital in Andhra Pradesh were taken as study subjects. They were evaluated using FOB and CT thorax. Other investigations were done when necessary.
Results: The mean age of the study population was 44.5 ± 13.5 years with age ranging from 20yrs to 80yrs. Of them 28(56%) were males and 22 (44%) females. Out of 50 such patients, a definitive diagnosis could be established in 33 patients (66%) with commonest being tuberculosis (12/50, 24%), followed by acute bronchitis (11/50, 22%), bronchiectasis (7/50, 14%), aspergilloma (2/50, 4%), malignancy (1/50,2%). CT scan is more efficacious in establishing a diagnosis of bronchiectasis than bronchoscopy (P < 0.05) while bronchoscopy is more sensitive in making a diagnosis of bronchitis than CT scan (P < 0.05). There was no statistically significant difference between CT scan and bronchoscopy (P > 0.05) in diagnosing PTB in patients with hemoptysis and normal CXR. CT scan solely diagnosed 30% cases with bronchoscopic findings being normal. While FOB solely diagnosed 28% cases with CT features being normal. In 8% cases both modalities established the diagnosis.
Conclusions: Overall, there was no statistically significant difference (P > 0.05) between CT scan and bronchoscopy in diagnosing the underlying cause of hemoptysis. Therefore, CT scan and bronchoscopy are equally important and complementary to each other in establishing diagnosis in a patient with hemoptysis and normal chest radiograph.

Keywords: Fiber Optic Bronchoscopy; CT-chest; Expectoration; Hemoptysis

How to cite : Poornima T, Silla M, Swaroop U S A, Role of CT scan chest and fiber optic bronchoscopy in evaluating patients with hemoptysis and normal chest radiograph. IP Indian J Immunol Respir Med 2017;2(3):82-85

This is an Open Access (OA) journal, and articles are distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 License, which allows others to remix, tweak, and build upon the work non-commercially, as long as appropriate credit is given and the new creations are licensed under the identical terms.