To investigate the mechanism and nature of expiratory obstruction in the airway of chronic obstructive lung disease, the following study was performed.
Materials:
Seven normal individuals, seven patients with chronic bronchitis, eight patients with chronic pulmonary emphysema, and others were selected.
Methods:
In these cases, manometric, bronchographic and bronchoscopic examinations were used.
Manometrically, tracheal pressure, bronchial pressure, esophageal pressure and flow at the mouth were simultaneously measured, during forced expiration and cough.
Tracheal and bronchial pressure were measured through two edman red catheters each with two side holes and blind tip, passed into the trachea and segmental bronchus.
Whereas, withdrawal airway pressures were measured through a cournand No. 8 catheter with open tip from subsegmental bronchus to subglottis, at several points with each 4cm distance.
According to the pressure curves obtained by these examination, the site and grade of obstruction were suspected.
To confirm these results, cinebronchography and flexible bronchofiberscopy were conbined.
Results:
1) Four in seven patients with chronic bronchitis, one in eight patients with chronic pulmonary emphysema, in whom both trachea and main bronchus obstructed expiratory flow.
One of them was typical tracheobrochial collapse syndrome.
2) One in seven patients with chronic bronchitis and one in eight patients with chronic pulmonary emphysema, in whom the lobal-segmental junction obstructed expiratory flow.
3) Three patients with chronic pulmonary emphysema in whom wide spread zone from the small bronchi to the trachea obstructed expiratory flow.
4) In two patients with chronic bronchitis, obstruction was observed only during cough, and negative during forced expiration.
5) Bronchoscopically, invagination of the posterior membranous wall at the trachea and large bronchi was considered one of the pathogenesis of expiratory obstruction.
6) Between two patients with chronic pulmonary emphysema, whose spirogram was almost same, each bronchial pressure curve was different in their patterns. Upon the enlarged bronchographic findings, it was manifested that the difference in pattern of pressure curve depended on the atrophic change of the nature of bronchial wall.
These results show that the trachea and large bronchi were the main zone of expiratory obstruction, contrary to the traditional theories which described the peripheral airways to be obstructed.
Whereas, the nature of bronchial wall, especially atrophic changes should be recognized to be great factor of mechanism of expiratory obstruction.
These results could be manifested only by means of examination approached into the airway, never out of the airway.
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