Bronchography in patients with persistent cough.

Bronchography was performed together with a fibre-optic bronchoscopic study in 98 patients with persistent cough, 33 of whom also had haemoptysis. Finally there were chronic bronchitis in 62 patients, bronchiectasis in 21, subacute bronchitis in 9, inflammatory residuals in 3, pulmonary tuberculosis in 2 patients and metastases in one. In chronic bronchitis, the value of plain chest radiography was low. It was normal in 34 of 62 cases (55%), bronchography in 12 cases (19%). Mild cases of bronchitis were more numerous in bronchography than seen by scopist. Bronchiectasis was found in 21 patients, four of these unexpectedly (two in a tbc scar). Additionally, three cases were overdiagnosed by the radiologist on chest films and eight cases by the scopist with bronchoscopy. In patients with persistent cough and haemoptysis, bronchography mainly revealed alterations of bronchitis.