Nonneoplastic lesions of the tracheobronchial wall: radiologic findings with bronchoscopic correlation.

Prince JS, Duhamel DR, Levin DL, Harrell JH, Friedman PJ.
Department of Radiology, Division of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine, UCSD Medical Center, 200 W Arbor Dr, Mail Code 8756, San Diego, CA 92103-8756, USA.

Radiographics. 2002 Oct;22 Spec No:S215-30

Nonneoplastic diseases of the central airways are uncommon but can be categorized as either focal or diffuse, although there is some overlap. Focal diseases include postintubation stenosis, postinfectious stenosis, posttransplantation stenosis, and various systemic diseases that may involve the airways and lead to focal stenosis (eg, Crohn disease, sarcoidosis, Behçet syndrome). Diffuse diseases of the central airways include Wegener granulomatosis, relapsing polychondritis, tracheobronchopathia osteochondroplastica, amyloidosis, papillomatosis, and rhinoscleroma. Conventional radiography is often the first step in the evaluation of suspected central airway disease and may be adequate in itself to identify the abnormality. However, computed tomography (CT) improves both the detection and characterization of central airway disease. Bronchoscopy remains the primary procedure for the diagnostic work-up of these disease entities. Nevertheless, a thorough radiologic evaluation with radiography and CT may demonstrate specific imaging findings (eg, calcification) that can help narrow the differential diagnosis and aid in the planning of bronchoscopy or therapeutic intervention.

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