The text is written in a clear, concise form and the author goes directly to the point, not wasting any unnecessary words. With a brief introduction of the subject, he divides the disease into two general divisions: (1) bronchiectasis of the infant and; (2) of the adult.
The end-result without surgical intervention is fatal sooner or later, therefore the prognosis is bad. The mortality of the operation, even though it is high, is justifiable. In infants, medical treatment is always resorted to while in adults the treatment is always surgical.
The differential diagnosis is not always easy but the roentgen-ray examination of the lungs, after introduction of lipiodol, i. e., iodized oil, almost invariably makes the diagnosis clear.
The author describes the four varieties of operative procedure in various types of cases:
Compression of lung.
Artificial pneumothorax.
Loosening up of the parietal pleura.
Direct compression of lung.
Thoracoplasty, extra pleural.