Nine patients are presented having an accessory cardiac bronchus which arose from the medial wall of an intermediate bronchus. The sex ratio is 6 men to 3 women. The age range is from 31 to 74 yrs. These supernumerary bronchi were accidentally discovered by other pulmonary diseases except two cases which were detected by hemosputum of bronchial mucosal inflammntion.
The accessory cardiac bronchus had segmental bronchial structure in the proximal part, and the tip of the bronchus was closed in many cases except two cases with terminal sprigs. Comparative anatomically, the accessory cardiac bronchus corresponds to the accessory lobe bronchus in the inferior mammals (dogs, rabbits). It originates from a bronchial bud within 6 weeks in the human embryo.
Clinically, this kind of bronchus can be a cause of hemosputum, though the number of lung cancer is increasing which is simply regarded as a cause of hemosputum.
