Study on the causes of atelectasis by fiberoptic bronchoscopy

Objective To investigate the value of fiberoptic bronchoscopy in diagnozing the causes of atelectasis and the features of the causes of atelectasis in different ages.Methods One hundred and eighty-four cases of atelectasis diagnosed by X-ray or CT were examined with fiberoptic bronchoscope,biopsy,brush and lavage to determine the cause of atelectasis.Results Among 184 cases of atelectasis,there were 99 cases of lung cancer(53.8%),52 cases of inflammation(28.3%),21 cases of tuberculosis(11.4%),4 cases of foreign body in lung(2.2%),8 cases of uncertain cause(4.3%).The diagnostic rate was 95.6%.Major causes of atelectasis were lung cancer(66.7%)in old patients,lung cancer(56.1%)and inflammation(36.4%)in middle-aged patients,tuberculosis(37.8%)and inflammation(29.7%)in young patients.Conclusion Atelectasis is mostly resulted from lung cancer in middle-aged and old patients.The major cause of atelectasis in young patents is tuberculosis and inflammation.Fiberoptic bronchoscopy has an important value in determining the cause of atelectasis.