Plastic bronchitis is a rare disease characterized by the recurrent formation of branching mucoid bronchial casts that are large and more cohesive than those that occur in ordinary mucus plugging. Casts may vary in size and can be spontaneously expectorated, but some require bronchoscopy for removal. Plastic bronchitis can therefore present as an acute life-threatening emergency if obstruction ...

BACKGROUND The case of a 34-year-old female nurse is presented. She worked in an accident and emergency department in a district general hospital, with methylene diphenyl diisocyanate (MDI)-containing synthetic plaster casts. She worked with MDI on a daily basis for 4 years. She was out of the department for 1 year and on her return developed cough, wheeze and dyspnoea within 5 min of exposure ...

Plastic bronchitis is a condition in which large, bronchial casts with rubber-like consistency develop in the tracheobronchial tree and cause airway obstruction. We describe a 4-year-old girl who had Fontan physiology and who developed plastic bronchitis and report for the first time the use of aerosolized tissue plasminogen activator for treatment of this condition. The literature is reviewed ...

Of all bronchial diseases, fibrinous, plastic, pseudo-membranous or Hoffmann's bronchitis seems to be one of the rarest. It has been estimated that up to 1869 about 130 cases had been reported (Walker, 1920); between 1869 and 1902 Bettmann (1902) collected 50, and between 1902 and 1920 a further 31 were reported (Walker, 1920). From 1920 to 1950 I have collected 25 new ones and these would brin...

Bronchial tree casts were made from one or both lungs from nine children aged from five weeks to 17 years. The branches of the casts were ordered by the method of Strahler, and diameter ratio, length ratio, and branching ratio were determined. From five to 12 weeks the diameter ratio is about 1.35, but by 13 months it has risen to 1.45, indicating a faster rate of growth in the larger airways o...

BACKGROUND Plastic bronchitis is an extremely rare disease characterized by the formation of tracheobronchial airway casts, which are composed of a fibrinous exudate with rubber-like consistency and cause respiratory distress as a result of severe airflow obstruction. Bronchial casts may be associated with congenital and acquired cardiopathies, bronchopulmonary diseases leading to mucus hyperse...

As Hilding (1949) states, " It is generally assumed that the total cross-sectional area of the [bronchial] tree increases progressively with each successive branching." Having studied the bronchial tree post mortem by slitting open the bronchi and measuring their calibre, Hilding himself believes that the total cross-sectional area of the tree remains almost constant until bronchi of diameter 1...

BACKGROUND Plastic bronchitis is a rare but life-threatening disorder and is usually associated with congenital heart disease or pulmonary disease. CASE CHARACTERISTICS A 5-year-old boy with minimal change nephrotic syndrome who developed a relapse along with cough, fever and dyspnea. OBSERVATION Chest X-ray showed atelectasis of right upper lobe of lung, and nasal swab was positive for inf...

Plastic bronchitis or cast bronchitis is a rare disease of unclear etiology characterized by formation of airway casts that can lead to life-threatening airway obstruction. There is currently limited data regarding optimal treatment of plastic bronchitis. Several therapies have been suggested, but recurrences are common and mortality remains high. We report the case of a 6-year-old boy with ref...