[Clinical analysis of 76 patients with upper airway obstruction].

OBJECTIVE: To explore the clinical characteristics of upper airway obstruction (UAO).

METHODS: We retrospectively analyzed the clinical data of 76 UAO patients who had been treated in Peking Union Medical College Hospital from January 2004 to April 2007.

RESULTS: Among these 76 UAO patients, the clinical diagnoses included pulmonary amyloidosis (n = 19, 25.0%), relapsing polychondritis (n = 23, 30.3%), tumor (n = 25, 32.9%), and tuberculosis (n = 10, 13.0%). Clinical manifestations included chronic persistent cough (n = 46), dyspnea (n = 36), hoarseness (n = 43), and productive cough (n = 29). Among 56 patients who underwent pulmonary function test, 27 patients had obstructive ventilatory disturbance pattern and 14 had mixed disturbance pattern. Among 70 patients who underwent bronchoscopy, 67 patients had pathological abnormalities from severe airway mucosal inflammation, tracheobronchial cartilage destruction, and tracheobronchial wall collapse (n = 35) to neoplasms (n = 32). Among 60 patients who underwent pathological examinations, the pathological changes were consistent with amyloidosis (n = 16), relapsing polychondritis (n = 5), tuberculosis (n =4), tumors (n = 25), or chronic granulomatous inflammation of mucosa (n = 10).

CONCLUSION: Careful and prompt pulmonary function test and bronchoscopy are helpful for early diagnosis and treatment of UAO.