Broncholithiasis; Presentation of Four Cases and Review of Literature

Four cases of broncholithiasis were reported with special reference to their roentgenological manifestations and bronchoscopic findings. The incidence of the disease in the past 8 years was 0.23% of 1756 patients who underwent bronchoscopic examination in our clinic. Three cases out of the four complained of bloody sputa and/or hemoptysis, corresponding to 0.83% of 368 cases seen in our clinic with similar symptoms during the same period. A review was made on 62 cases of broncholithiasis collected from Japanese literature including our four cases. Indications for bronchoscopic removal and surgical operation for broncholithiasis were discussed.