On the nature of peculiar expectorated bronchial casts: Can infrared spectroscopy enlighten us?

Bronchial casts can be defined as gelatinous structures originating from the airways. While several cases of bronchial cast formation have been reported in literature, unravelling its nature is often a difficult task.In this case report, we applied infrared (IR) spectroscopy on a bronchial cast fragment originating from a patient who suffered from a 2-y history of frequent coughing accompanied by the occasional expectoration of viscous and thick...