FOLLOW-UP STUDY OF BRONCHIECTASIS

Abstract

A follow-up study of bronchiectasis was reported in which twenty ambulant clinic patients were observed for a period of one to ten years, and bronchographic examination was repeated in all cases during the follow-up period. The cases were drawn from 107 patients with bronchiectasis which was demonstrated on bronchorgam. Five cases experienced an amelioration of symptoms, and in 12cases there had been no symptomatic change. Symptoms had become a little more severe in only 3cases. Physical incapacity due to some respiratory symptoms was absent in 16cases, 80 percent of the cases. Excluding two surgical cases, extension of bronchial dilatation was demonstrated in only one case which was the most severe case among the follow-up cases. There was little correlation between the severity of symptoms and the extent or shape of bronchial dilatation. It might be concluded that the prognosis of bronchiectasis studied in this report was fairly good, and that the progression of the disease occurred rarely.