Al Jabri Majid, Al Humaimi Ons, Al Yousufi Fatma, Al Farsi Abdullah, Qureshi Tabinda, Al Kindy Hussein
Child Health Department, Sultan Qaboos University Hospital, Muscat, OMN.
Child Health Department, Sultan Qaboos University Hospital, College of Medicine and Health Sciences, Muscat, OMN.
Cureus. 2025 Jun 22;17(6):e86516. doi: 10.7759/cureus.86516. eCollection 2025 Jun.
Non-cystic fibrosis bronchiectasis (NCFB) remains underdiagnosed in pediatric populations, particularly in the Middle East.
To characterize the high-resolution computed tomography (HRCT) features of NCFB in pediatric patients, including extent, morphological subtype, and lobar distribution, and to evaluate their associations with underlying clinical diagnoses at a tertiary care center in Oman.
We conducted a retrospective cross-sectional study at Sultan Qaboos University Hospital (SQUH), a tertiary center in Oman, reviewing pediatric patients ≤18 years diagnosed with NCFB between January 2000 and December 2022. High-resolution computed tomography (HRCT) reports prepared by pediatric radiologists were reviewed. Data on clinical features, radiological patterns, lobar involvement, and etiologies were analyzed descriptively using IBM SPSS Statistics for Macintosh, Version 19.0 (IBM Corp., Armonk, NY).
Of the 150 patients reviewed, 61 met the inclusion criteria. The mean age at diagnosis was 7.3 years, with 35 (57.4%) being male. Diffuse bronchiectasis was predominant, observed in 48 patients (78.7%), and involved more than two lobes in 40 cases (65.6%). The left lower lobe was the most frequently affected, seen in 13 patients (21.6%). Cylindrical bronchiectasis was present in all patients, while cystic in 25 patients (41.0%) and varicose in 19 patients (31.1%) forms were more common in those with systemic disorders, such as primary immunodeficiency (PID, 18 patients; 37.5%) and primary ciliary dyskinesia (PCD, 8 patients; 16.7%). Patients diagnosed at age ≥5 years had a significantly higher prevalence of diffuse disease.
HRCT is a crucial diagnostic tool for pediatric NCFB, particularly in children with recurrent infections or systemic comorbidities, such as PID or PCD. Early imaging may prevent irreversible damage and guide targeted treatment. Establishing national guidelines for pediatric chest CT utilization and incorporating multidisciplinary assessments may improve diagnostic timeliness and outcomes.
非囊性纤维化支气管扩张（NCFB）在儿科人群中仍未得到充分诊断，尤其是在中东地区。
描述儿科患者中NCFB的高分辨率计算机断层扫描（HRCT）特征，包括范围、形态学亚型和肺叶分布，并在阿曼的一家三级医疗中心评估它们与潜在临床诊断的关联。
我们在阿曼的三级中心苏丹卡布斯大学医院（SQUH）进行了一项回顾性横断面研究，回顾了2000年1月至2022年12月期间诊断为NCFB的18岁及以下儿科患者。审查了儿科放射科医生编写的高分辨率计算机断层扫描（HRCT）报告。使用适用于Macintosh的IBM SPSS Statistics 19.0版（IBM公司，纽约州阿蒙克）对临床特征、放射学模式、肺叶受累情况和病因数据进行描述性分析。
在审查的150例患者中，61例符合纳入标准。诊断时的平均年龄为7.3岁，其中35例（57.4%）为男性。弥漫性支气管扩张为主，48例患者（78.7%）出现，40例（65.6%）累及两个以上肺叶。左下叶是最常受累的部位，13例患者（21.6%）出现。所有患者均存在柱状支气管扩张，25例患者（41.0%）为囊性，19例患者（31.1%）为静脉曲张性，在患有原发性免疫缺陷（PID，18例患者；37.5%）和原发性纤毛运动障碍（PCD，8例患者；16.7%）等全身性疾病的患者中更为常见。5岁及以上诊断的患者弥漫性疾病的患病率显著更高。
HRCT是儿科NCFB的关键诊断工具，特别是对于患有反复感染或全身性合并症（如PID或PCD）的儿童。早期成像可预防不可逆损伤并指导靶向治疗。制定儿科胸部CT使用的国家指南并纳入多学科评估可能会提高诊断及时性和结果。
