Foreign Body Bronchiectasis

¹ Department of Surgery and Medicine, Veterans Administration Hospital, Allen Park,

Three patients with bronchiectasis resulting from aspiration of a foreign body are presented. In one, the aspiration occurred at least 13 months prior to his death. Another, due to an identifiable pipe stem, was known to have aspirated the object 25 years previously. The third, according to available chest roentgenograms, had aspirated chicken bones a minimum of 24 years previously. Two of the patients died of sepsis due to recurrent pneumonia; the third is alive and well following resection of the diseased segment of lung. Consideration of this disease entity and careful interpretation of radiographic findings is imperative if a correct diagnosis is to be made. Our experience indicates that resection of the diseased portion of lung is the treatment of choice when bronchiectasis has occurred.