Razi Journal of Medical Sciences

    Background & Aim: The present study was undertaken to compare the results of broncoscopy and HRCT in 84 patients complaining from hemoptysis with normal chest X-ray in order to determine their final diagnosis and investigate association between these tests in different clinical situations. Patients & Methods: This retrospective case-series study was conducted on 84 patients with hemoptysis and normal chest X-ray who referred to the 505 Hospital in Tehran. There was not any obvious source for bleeding in their clinical examinations. All patients underwent fiber optic bronchoscopy and also HRCT. The final diagnosis was made after at least one-week follow-up. Kappa coefficient between the results was calculated. Results: Out of 84 patients, who had done bronchoscopy, no lesion was seen in 63 of them. Only 43 patients underwent HRCT, out of whom 31 patients had no lesion in their HRCT. There was only one patient with malignancy found in his bronchoscopy, but he did not undergo HRCT. Kappa coefficient between bronchoscopy and HRCT was 7%(P=0.67). Conclusion: In spite of the limitations in this study, it seems that none of these two tests can be replaced with the other. In patients without the presence of risk factors for malignancy, HRCT could be of more help.