Purpose: Our aim was to investigate the incidence and characteristics of bronchial diverticula using multidetector-row computed tomography (MDCT) and to evaluate their association with smoking status.
Materials and methods: Two radiologists retrospectively reviewed MDCT scans obtained between December 2007 and February 2008 with a 4-row or a 64-row MDCT scanner for 1122 consecutive patients. Bronchial diverticula were assessed for incidence, locations, and sizes. Smoking history, including the Brinkman Index, was recorded from clinical records. Statistical analysis used χ or t tests to evaluate associations between patients' clinical information (age, sex, or smoking history) and the presence of bronchial diverticula.
Results: A total of 401 bronchial diverticula were found in 242 (21.6%) patients (mean, 1.65; mode, 1 per patient). Most diverticula were 1 or 2 mm in size. Bronchial diverticula were most frequently detected in the subcarinal region. Of these 242 patients with diverticula, 142 (58.7%) were male and had a higher prevalence than women (P<0.01). No significant difference in age was found between the groups with and without bronchial diverticula. Although bronchial diverticula were also observed in lifelong nonsmokers, the group with bronchial diverticula had a higher percentage of smokers than the group without bronchial diverticula (P=0.01). The Brinkman Index for the group with bronchial diverticula was significantly higher than for the group without diverticula (P<0.01).
Conclusions: Bronchial diverticula are frequently observed on chest MDCT scans and are associated with cigarette smoking.