Thorax 1984;39:260-263

ABSTRACT We have reviewed the results of 167 consecutive bronchograms carried out through the fibreoptic bronchoscope at the end of the bronchoscopic examination. Additional diagnostic information was obtained in 61 (37%) of the patients. Bronchiectasis was the most common finding and was particularly frequent in older patients with haemoptysis and a normal chest radiograph, in those with a chronic productive cough with a normal chest radiograph, and in a heterogeneous group with persistent lobar shadowing. The relative ease with which good quality bronchograms can be obtained via the fibreoptic bronchoscope has led us to discard more con-ventional methods except in children. During the last 20 years there has been a general decline in the use of bronchography. This has resulted from a variety of factors, most important of which are the decline in incidence of bronchiectasis and the advent of fibreoptic bronchoscopy, coupled with the opinion that bronchography rarely provides useful information not otherwise obtainable by more specific and less disagreeable and hazardous methods. The widely differing use of bronchogra-phy'- suggests that there is no clearcut agreement as to which patients will benefit from the procedure. With the advent of fibreoptic bronchoscopy there is no need for the two techniques to be mutually exclu-sive,4 for the bronchoscope provides excellent, safe access to the whole bronchial tree for radio-opaque contrast media. We have reviewed the results of per-forming bronchography as an addition to fibreoptic bronchoscopy and have attempted to assess its clini-cal usefulness