MANUAL OF CLINICAL DIAGNOSIS
Bronchial breathing is characterised by loud, high-pitched breath sounds heard in areas of the lung where they are not normally auscultated. These sounds resemble the normal breath sounds heard over the trachea and main bronchi, but when heard in the peripheral lung areas, they may indicate an underlying pathology. This finding suggests that the lung parenchyma has lost its normal ability to muffle breath sounds due to consolidation or fibrosis.
Pathology | Clinical Symptoms and Signs | Suspected Diagnosis | Confirmatory Diagnosis |
|---|---|---|---|
Consolidation Secondary to Infection | Fever, productive cough, dyspnoea, crackles, bronchial breathing | Medical history of respiratory infection, physical examination | Chest X-ray, chest computed tomography (CT), sputum culture |
Pleural Cavity | Chest pain, dyspnoea, decreased breath sounds, dull percussion | Medical history, physical examination | Chest X-ray, chest CT, thoracic ultrasound |
Pulmonary Fibrosis | Progressive dyspnoea, dry cough, basal crackles, bronchial breathing | Medical history, physical examination, crackles | Chest X-ray, high-resolution computed tomography (HRCT), lung biopsy |
Interstitial Lung Disease | Progressive dyspnoea, dry cough, crackles, bronchial breathing | Medical history, physical examination, crackles | Chest X-ray, HRCT, lung biopsy |
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