Obstructing Tuberculosis of the Main Bronchi A Syndrome

¹ Sunny Acres Sanatorium, Cuyahoga County Tuberculosis Hospital, Cleveland 22, Ohio.

Patients who have had obstructing tuberculosis of the main bronchi are permanent pulmonary cripples. The pattern leading up to this status has been outlined as a syndrome. This condition and sequence undoubtedly occur in the smaller divisions of the bronchial tree. Since the parenchymal pathological changes occurring in these elicit a much smaller response, evidence of its presence may be blanketed by manifestations of already existing pulmonary disease. It is impossible for the very smallest branches to avoid involvement even in minimal tuberculosis. It would appear that the more proximal it becomes the more important and dangerous it becomes.

Obstructing tuberculosis of the main bronchi carries with it a very unfavorable prognosis in spite of whatever favorable clinical and laboratory findings may be present. Should the patient survive the above outlined sequence of events, the expected outlook for local or general recovery is indeed unfavorable. There are those who have seemed to belie this fact by surviving beyond their anticipated expectancy, but these are of the smallest percentage.