An Asthmatic Patient With Bronchomalacia and Good Response With Continuous Positive Airway Pressure

A 31-year-old female with a rare cause of recurrent lower lobar collapses

“…Bronchomalacia is a defined as a defect of the composition of the cartilage of the bronchi, which results in loss of mechanical integrity and resistance of the airway during expiration [ 1 ]. As such the lumen of the airway is narrowed during expiration and more than a 50% reduction in the diameter of the lumen is pathognomonic of bronchomalacia [ 2 ].…”

“…It can be classified as congenital, occurring during infancy which may be an isolated finding, or may be acquired during adulthood due to damage to the bronchial tree. Such insults include chronic infection, tuberculosis, trauma, chronic bronchitis, post-intubation, thoracic malignancies and amyloidosis [ 1 , 3 , 4 ].…”

“…Symptoms can often overlap and masquerade as many other common respiratory conditions with shortness of breath, wheeze, difficulty in clearing secretions and recurrent chest infections. There are several cases of bronchomalacia presenting as difficult to control asthma [ 1 , 5 ].…”