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A tracheal bronchus is a congenital bronchial anomaly in which an accessory or aberrant bronchus arises directly from the trachea, usually supplying the right upper lobe. It may be asymptomatic or associated with recurrent infections, especially in children.
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Synonyms:
Embryology:
| Type | Description |
|---|---|
| Supernumerary | Additional bronchus arises from trachea and supplies part of the lung (usually upper lobe) alongside normal bronchus |
| Displaced bronchus | Entire upper lobe bronchus arises directly from trachea, with no normal upper lobe bronchus from main bronchus |
| Vestigial | Short, blind-ending diverticulum (does not connect to lung parenchyma) |
Tracheal bronchus. a Illustrations of the tracheal bronchi types. b Coronal CT imaging demonstrates a supernumerary right upper lobe bronchus (solid arrow) originating from the trachea
Marini, T., Hobbs, S.K., Chaturvedi, A. et al. Beyond bronchitis: a review of the congenital and acquired abnormalities of the bronchus. Insights Imaging 8, 141–153 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s13244-016-0537-y
| Feature | Details |
|---|---|
| Incidence | ~0.1–2% of population (CT or bronchoscopy) |
| Location | >95% occur on right side |
| Sex | Slight male predominance |
| Status | Features |
|---|---|
| Asymptomatic | Most cases discovered incidentally |
| Symptomatic | – Recurrent right upper lobe pneumonia |
| – Cough, wheezing | |
| – Atelectasis | |
| – Can cause complications during intubation or bronchoscopy | |
| Associated anomalies | – Tracheoesophageal fistula |
| – Congenital heart disease | |
| – Pulmonary sequestration | |
| – VACTERL association (rare) |