The European respiratory journal : official journal of the European Society for Clinical Respiratory Physiology
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The pathophysiological processes underlying bronchiectasis in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) are not understood. In COPD, both small and large airways are progressively lost. It is currently not known to what extent the different airway generations of patients with COPD and bronchiectasis are involved. ⋯ Lack of tapering was present (p=0.010) and larger diameters were demonstrated in lower lobes with bronchiectasis (p=0.010). MicroCT analysis of tissue cores showed similar reductions of tissue percentage, surface density and number of terminal bronchioles in both COPD groups compared to control lungs. Although terminal bronchioles were equally reduced in COPD lungs with and without bronchiectasis, significantly more large and small airways were found in COPD lungs with bronchiectasis.