Congenital bronchial atresia : a rare anomaly which can be mistaken for a bronchogenic tumor

Abstract EN

Congenital bronchial atresia (CBA) is a rare anomaly that results from a congenital focal obliteration in the proximal development of the bronchi.

Short atretic segments lead to an accumulation of mucus within the distal bronchi to form a bronchocele and underventilation of the affected lung segment.

Radio graphically, CBA is characterized by the presence of a branching opacity, the bronchocele, radiating from the hilum and surrounded by an area of hyperlucency.

These features can be recognized on the chest radiograph, but they are even more clearly defined by computerized tomography.