Bronchiectasis: Practical Consideration of Cure, Treatment and Prognosis

Surgical Bronchiectasis is symptomatic disease significantly affecting less than 12 bronchopulmonary segments, where the remaining segments have adequate functional capacity. This emphasizes the factor of time. In surgical bronchiectasis, cure can be obtained by surgical removal, if done before secondary changes are produced in nonbronchiectatic segments. So-called conservative treatment, in such cases, may result in partial control of symptoms and infections, but, nevertheless recurrent minor inflammations over the years finally produce secondary fibrosis and emphysema and early death from pulmonary insufficiency.