The hypertrophy of the bronchial arteries in bronchiectasis has been known to surgeons ever since resection of the lung had been practised for this condition. Histologists have noticed and commented upon the extreme vascularity of the tissue round the bronchiectatic sacs, and have tried to explain this as part of the general inflammatory change. The physiological importance and significance of ...

BACKGROUND Bronchial artery aneurysm (BAA) is a rare condition with a reported prevalence of less than 1% of all selective bronchial arterial angiograms. Despite its low incidence, BAA represents a potential cause of hemoptysis. CASE REPORT We describe the case of a 63-year-old man suffering from chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), who presented with non-massive hemoptysis. CT angio...

BACKGROUND Until now, it is unknown whether and to what extent arteriosclerotic disease affects the bronchial arteries. OBJECTIVES We conducted this pilot study to estimate the prevalence of arteriosclerosis of the bronchial arteries, to correlate it with certain clinicolaboratory arteriosclerotic parameters or any coexistent coronary artery disease (CAD) and to validate the clinical signific...

The bronchial circulation, as opposed to the pulmonary circulation, is the likely source of the edema and inflammatory cells that contribute to airflow obstruction and airway narrowing associated with asthma and pulmonary edema. The purpose of this study was to understand the mechanism of edema formation and inflammation in airway walls. Therefore, we sought first to determine the normal bronch...

We have shown that an inhaled glucocorticosteroid (GS) causes alpha(1)-adrenergic antagonist-blockable, rapid, and transient bronchial vasoconstriction in healthy and asthmatic subjects. Steroids inhibit norepinephrine (NE) uptake by non-neuronal cells, thereby increasing NE concentration at alpha-adrenergic receptor sites. This could explain the GS-induced bronchial vasoconstriction. We theref...

OBJECTIVES To report our experience with bronchial arteriography and bronchial artery embolization (BAE). MATERIALS AND METHODS A review of clinical experience to evaluate the demographics, clinical presentation, radiographic studies, bronchoscopy, and complications of bronchial arteriography and BAE at Mayo Medical Center, Rochester, MN, from 1981 to 2000. RESULTS Fifty-four patients under...

Isolated unilateral pulmonary artery agenesis is a rare congenital anomaly that may be complicated with hemoptysis, recurrent pulmonary infections or pulmonary hypertension. To our knowledge the occurrence of a coronary syndrome associated with a coronary-to-bronchial artery saccular aneurysmal collateralization has never been described before. A 44-year-old female presented a congenital right ...

The existence of systemic arteries to the lungs has been known for many centuries. Ruysch (1732) claimed to be the first to have described the bronchial arteries, but Galen had already done so in the second century A.D. During the nineteenth century the anatomy of the bronchial arteries was studied in detail and their possible function considered. Reisseisen and von Soemmering (1808) defined th...