Biomedical Science

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Morris JF Koski A Johnson LC: Spirometric standards for healthy non- smoking adults. Am Rev Respir Dis 1971; 103:57-67. 12. Gelb AF, Tashkin DP, Epstein JD ...
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Biomedical Science Computed Tomography and Bronchoscopy in Chest Radiographically Occult Main-Stem Neoplasm Diagnosis and Nd-YAG Laser Treatment in 8 Patients ARTHUR F. GELB, MD, Lakewood, Califomia; DENISE R. ABERLE, MD, Los Angeles; MARK J. SCHEIN, MD, Lakewood, Califomia; DAVID P. NAIDICH, MD, New York; JOEL D. EPSTEIN, MD, Lakewood, Califomia; and DONALD P. TASHKIN, MD, Los Angeles

We studied 8 adult patients with variable symptoms of cough, dyspnea, stridor, wheezing, or hemoptysis. Fiberoptic bronchoscopy in all showed complete or nearly complete endobronchial obstruction of a main-stem bronchus by neoplasm with a mean bronchial diameter of 1.9 mm + 1.6 mm (mean ± standard deviation). In 4 patients, a lobar bronchus was also completely obstructed. No mass was visible on chest radiographs of any patient; however, computed tomography in each showed main-stem endobronchial obstruction, lobar obstruction (4 instances in 3 patients), and in 6 patients hypoperfusion of the involved lung. Computed tomographic scan showed additional abnormalities that were unsuspected on viewing chest radiographs or at bronchoscopy, including mediastinal adenopathy in 3 patients and an extraluminal tumor component in 4. After therapy with Nd-YAG laser, main-stem airway diameter increased to a mean of 9.6 mm + 1.0 mm (P