Annals of the American Thoracic Society
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Multiple causes for air trapping as identified by expiratory computed tomography (CT) have been reported, but a unified evaluation schema has never been proposed. ⋯ A variety of conditions can cause air trapping. Associated imaging findings can narrow the differential diagnosis.
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Observational Study
Evaluation of tracheobronchomalacia by dynamic flexible bronchoscopy. A pilot study.
Dynamic flexible bronchoscopy is the "gold standard" for assessing changes in airway luminal size associated with tracheobronchomalacia, but the procedure has not been adequately validated. The present study was designed to test the validity of diagnosing tracheobronchomalacia by dynamic flexible bronchoscopy through assessing inter- and intraobserver agreements in estimating degree of central airway collapse associated with tracheobronchomalacia. ⋯ The favorable inter- and intraobserver agreements among 23 pulmonologists using dynamic flexible bronchoscopy to estimate the degree of dynamic central airway collapse provide additional evidence that dynamic flexible bronchoscopy is a reliable diagnostic tool for tracheobronchomalacia.