CT scan findings on bronchiectasis

Q: What are the three reliable signs of bronchiectasis on a CT scan?

Answer: Although the presence of clinical symptoms is of paramount importance in bronchiectasis, such as daily cough and sputum, with frequent exacerbations, three reliable features to diagnose bronchiectasis on a CT scan are:

• Airway-to-arterial ratio ≥1.5 (internal airway lumen diameter/adjacent pulmonary artery diameter)
• Lack of tapering of bronchi (tram track appearance)
• Airway visibility within 1 cm of a costal pleural surface or touching the mediastinal pleura

#pulmonary

#radiology

References;

1. Aliberti S, Goeminne PC, O'Donnell AE, et al. Criteria and definitions for the radiological and clinical diagnosis of bronchiectasis in adults for use in clinical trials: international consensus recommendations. Lancet Respir Med 2022; 10:298.

2. Hill AT, Sullivan AL, Chalmers JD, et al. British Thoracic Society Guideline for bronchiectasis in adults. Thorax 2019; 74:1.