Journal List > Korean J Phys Anthropol > v.30(1) > 1039250

Kim and Song: The Morphometric Study of Main Bronchus in Korean Cadaver

Abstract

This morphometric study of main bronchus was performed to provide the basic data necessary for anatomists, anesthetists and emergency medical technicians. A total of 48 cadavers, 33 men and 15 women, were used in this study. When it comes to their average age, men were 70 years old (50 to 91 years old), and women were 74 years old (47 to 92 years old). For this study, the length of the left and right main bronchi and the angle between them, and the first bronchial cartilage's each anteroposterior diameter, transverse diameter, vertical height, and distance between posterior ends of cartilage were measured. As for the length, left length was longer than right length regardless of gender, and there was no significant difference between men and women. When it comes to anterorposterior diameter, transverse diameter, and distance between posterior ends of the first bronchial cartilage in main bronchi, the right side was longer and wider than left side regardless of gender, but statistical significance was shown only in the distance between posterior ends of cartilage. Vertical height of the first bronchial cartilage in main bronchi did not show any difference between the left and right and between men and women, and men cadavers had a very large individual difference from 2.35 mm to 9.22 mm. As for the angle of the main bronchi's separation from trachea's major axis, the left side was larger than the right side in both men and women cadavers and it was larger in men than women, but there was no significant statistical difference. Lastly, as for the length of the main bronchi, the right and left lengths in men were 16.83±1.36 and 37.26±1.42 mm respectively; and the right and left lengths in women were 16.90±2.26 and 36.08±3.39 mm respectively. These results are expected to be used as the basic clinical data useful for medical procedures of emergency care practitioners, anesthetists and emergency medical technicians.

References

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Fig. 1.
Measurement method of the main bronchi. (A) Length of main bronchi (arrows) and angle between right (∗) and left (∗∗) main bron-chi, (B) the first bronchial cartilages (black dots).
kjpa-30-7f1.tif
Fig. 2.
Measurement method of the first bronchial cartilage in main bronchi. (A) Anteroposterior (A-P) diameter, (B) transverse diameter, (C) distance between posterior ends.
kjpa-30-7f2.tif
Table 1.
The total data of the main bronchial measurements
Gender Age Length (mm) Bronchial angle (°)
Right Left Right Left
  50 16.94 38.60 35 55
  51 12.6 35.16 15 25
  51 11.4 34.1 40 40
  51 11.70 36.70
  54 17.89 29.61 50 55
  55 18.47 28.31 45 55
  59 22.61 41.63 45 45
  59 14.31 35.21 40 30
  59 10.39 32.10 45 65
  62 19.30 40.12 35 50
  66 9.46 30.17 55 50
Men 66 19.41 41.59 50 40
  67 10.24 40.17 33 45
  67 16.15 32.38 45 45
  67 14.27 37.12 45 40
  77 11.69 36.12 20 20
  78 13.25 32.17 35 30
  79 9.03 22.38 45 60
  83 22.36 45.83 25 40
  86 37.63 42.69 30 30
  89 22.47 49.36 50 40
  90 22.49 48.30 50 60
  101 22.94 47.16
  47 22.36 40.16 40 40
  65 10.63 31.87 50 50
  76 13.33 38.1 25 53
  76 8.16 20.16 45 50
Women 77 12.48 26.64 25 35
  80 14.36 27.26 40 40
  82 29.39 47.39 25 25
  90 19.93 43.11
  92 21.5 50.01 40 50
Table 2.
Metric values of the main bronchi
    Men Women P value
  Right 16.83±1.36 16.90±2.26 0.9762
Length (mm) Left 37.26±1.42 36.08±3.39 0.7054
  P value∗∗ <0.0001 0.0002  
  Right 39.67±2.31 36.25±3.50 0.4371
Angle (°) Left 43.81±2.6 42.88±3.41 0.8480
  P value∗∗ 0.2479 0.1971  

Data are mean± SEM.

P value: Men vs Women

∗∗ P value: 0.2479 Right vs Left

Table 3.
The total data of the first bronchial cartilage measurements
Gender Age Anteroposterior diameter (mm) Transverse diameter (mm)
Right Left Right Left
  50 17.52 15.22 21.88 27.41
  51 15.48 17.81 15.61 15.05
  51 23.00 15.50 16.75 14.12
  5151 23.0016.30 15.5013.70 17.48 16.47
  5154 16.3015.53 13.7015.69 17.4819.00 16.4718.01
  5455 15.5316.53 15.6913.36 19.59 16.92
  5559 16.5317.92 13.3618.45 19.5920.77 16.9218.93
  59 24.59 23.42 18.44 16.99
  59 15.76 16.01 20.58 21.74
  62 16.31 18.27
  66 17.60 23.50 23.72
  66 20.68 16.16 19.41 8.17
  6667 20.6817.16 15.88 19.00 19.50
Men 6767 17.1617.17 15.10 18.36 17.46
  6767 17.1718.20 16.47 21.92 18.37
  6776 18.2015.23 16.4713.16 21.9216.68 18.3714.02
  7677 15.2326.16 23.63 15.07 15.76
  7778 26.1617.89 18.06 18.03 19.74
  7879 17.8919.64 18.0616.06 18.0317.63 19.7416.37
  7983 19.6418.34 16.83 19.28 19.08
  85 18.09 17.03 16.15 13.49
  8586 18.0915.15 12.38 16.53 14.04
  8687 15.1517.81 12.3820.93 16.5321.99 14.0420.47
  8789 17.8114.76 20.9311.33 21.9920.91 20.4720.22
  90 16.38 12.34 20.83 17.64
  90101 16.3818.51 20.80 20.45 20.60
  47 11.77 9.29 18.26 14.83
  50 10.14 10.15 11.90 13.21
  53 11.41 9.87 14.08 12.81
  65 8.05 7.64 14.90 11.64
  74 13.38 11.94 19.01 16.95
  76 17.74 16.34 15.21 16.67
  76 11.20 8.76 18.83 16.34
Women 77 16.00 14.69 21.47 15.80
  80 12.37 11.37 16.92 16.47
  8081 12.3716.27 11.3713.48 16.9214.97 16.4711.88
  81 12.41 10.94 22.60 17.38
  8182 12.4117.10 10.9416.09 22.6016.11 17.3813.39
  83 13.73 10.24 14.91 10.63
  90 11.99 11.89 14.26 13.35
  92 14.91 13.02 11.71 15.44
Table 4.
Metric values of the first bronchial cartilage
Gender Age Vertical height (mm) Distance between posterior ends (mm)
Age Right Left Right Left
  50 4.39 3.00 19.21 9.15
  51 4.34 4.39 10.69 8.00
  51 4.15 4.11 15.45 13.83
  51 2.92 4.52 15.94 6.48
  54 3.12 3.21 19.98 13.55
  55 4.23 3.68 13.75 7.46
  59 3.09 2.95 20.23 16.28
  59 6.81 8.87 14.31 14.40
  59 2.90 2.80 19.94 13.31
  62 3.72 14.04
  66 3.19 2.24 20.57 9.54
  66 6.90 10.16 18.35 17.56
Men 67 4.15 3.88 12.13 7.49
67 3.29 3.41 6.95 7.10
  67 4.85 3.48 9.38 13.51
  76 2.57 3.09 10.04 10.10
  77 3.01 4.09 11.97 11.82
  78 9.22 6.40 9.20 9.97
  79 2.73 6.29 20.37 20.71
  3 33.98 5.43 13.78 17.75
  83 3.98 5.43 13.78 17.75
  85 2.35 3.54 15.87 9.63
  86 3.28 3.75 13.85 10.16
  87 3.42 4.43 13.12 17.98
  89 4.23 4.43 20.68 21.44
  90 3.85 4.30 19.08 11.36
  101 3.57 3.92 12.08 11.09
  47 2.60 2.70 10.96 5.34
  50 5.30 4.12
  65 3.27 14.46 8.58
  74 3.03 2.99 16.50 9.34
  76 4.34 2.84 13.11 8.08
  76 4.24 2.58 15.08 8.10
Women 77 3.73 4.19 19.01 12.63
80 3.22 3.63 3.00 8.57
  81 3.54 4.56 2.68 12.96
  81 3.57 3.94 16.09 10.96
  82 3.54 2.86 10.34 10.30
  83 4.87 6.00 4.67
  90 2.28 3.01 8.36 3.94
  92 6.77 4.36 8.84 15.84
Table 5.
The data of the first bronchial cartilage measurements
    Men Women P value
Anteroposterior diameter Right 17.32±0.85 13.23±0.70 0.0024
  Left 16.43±0.62 11.71±0.66 0.0024<0.0001
  P value∗∗ 0.4066 0.1298  
Transverse diameter Right 18.28±0.76 16.34±0.81 0.1180
  Left 17.71±0.67 14.45±0.56 0.0027
  P value∗∗ 0.5782 0.0671  
Vertical height Right 3.99±0.27 3.76±0.31 0.6346
  Left 4.31±0.35 3.37±0.20 0.0983
  P value∗∗ 0.4816 0.3195  
Distance between posterior ends Right 15.46±0.88 10.70±1.39 0.0046
  Left 12.20±0.79 8.81±0.95 0.0135
  P value∗∗ 0.0083 0.2762  

Data (mm) are mean± SEM.

P value: Men vs Women

∗∗ P value: Right vs Left

Table 6.
Ratio of the distance between posterior ends of the firs bronchial cartilages
Ratio (%)   Men Women
Distance between posterior ends of cartilages/Transverse diameter Right 84 65
  Left 48 61
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