Aspiration, Bronchial Obstruction, Bronchiectasis, and Related Disorders

The conducting airways play a pivotal role in the spectrum of pulmonary pathology, not only as conduits for injurious agents to enter the lung, but also as an anatomic compartment that is affected by a diverse array of primary or secondary bronchocentric diseases. This chapter discusses aspiration and bronchial obstruction in detail, with emphasis on the aspiration of toxic, infective, or particulate matter. Lung abscess, a frequent complication of obstruction or aspiration, is also reviewed. Both aspiration and lung abscess are reconsidered within the context of pulmonary infectious disease mainly in Chapter 8 on bacterial infections, and to some extent in the chapters on mycobacterial (Chapter 9), fungal (Chapter 10), and parasitic diseases (Chapter 14).