THE ASSOCIATION OF TRACHEOMEGALY AND BRONCHIECTASIS

This study set out to determine the frequency in bronchiectasis as jud ged by high resolution computed tomography (HRCT) while determining wh ether the published normal tracheal dimensions derived from radiograph ic data can be used for CT diagnosis. Seventy-five consecutive adults referred for CT assessment of possible bronchiectasis were studied and compared with a control group of 75 adults being staged for lymphoma. The internal tracheal diameters at aortic arch level of the control g roup correspond with published radiographic data and using these measu rements, 7/42 (17%) patients with bronchiectasis were found to have tr acheomegaly, while two of the 33 'symptomatic' patients (i.e. those pa tients not found to have bronchiectasis) had tracheomegaly. Further an alysis confirmed that the bronchiectatic group's tracheal dimensions w ere significantly different from those of the control group while the 'symptomatic' group are an overlap population. We conclude that trache omegaly is a frequent finding in bronchiectasis.