Computed tomography of bronchial adenomas

Computed tomography (CT) was used to evaluate nine patients with bronchial adenomas: five carcinoid tumors and four adenoid-cystic carcinomas. Seven patients with lesions of the trachea or proximal bronchi presented with wheezing, hemoptysis, or obstructive pneumonitis. In such cases CT was effective in displaying the total extent of infiltrating lesions including the extraluminal component. The cases of adenoid-cystic carcinoma of the bronchi demonstrated extraluminal spread in a pattern indistinguishable from bronchogenic carcinoma. In one patient, CT demonstrated an exclusively endobronchial carcinoid tumor, and conservative resection was planned and accomplished. In two cases of carcinoid tumors that presented as solitary pulmonary nodules adjacent to bronchi in the midlung zone, CT served as a road map for the bronchoscopist. Computed tomography has been employed in the post-operative patient to evaluate for possible recurrence.