A Review of Hemoptysis in Patients with Normal Chest Roentgenograms

Abstract

A total of 155 patients with hemoptysis over a 3-year period were reviewed. In 124 cases, abnormal findings on chest roentgenograms were detected and final diagnoses could be obtained by bronchoscopy. In the remaining 31 cases (20%), no abnormal findings on chest roentgenograms were detected. Bronchoscopic examination was carried out in these cases and was useful only in 3 cases ; (1) Recurrent cancer at the bronchial stump (2) broncholithiasis (3) idiopathic massive pulmonary bleeding Almost all of the remaining cases were estimated to have been bronchial inflammation on the grounds of follow-up study. On condition that the case does not belong in the high-risk group, a patient with X-ray negative hemoptysis can safely not undergo a bronchoscopic examination because bronchial inflammation is almost always the cause.