Anatomy
pneumologie pulmonology
le nez the nose
la gorge the throat
le pharynx the pharynx
le larynx the larynx
les amygdales tonsils
le voile du palais the soft palate
l’épiglotte the epiglottis
les cordes vocales the vocal cords
la trachée the trachea
une bronche a bronchus (pl. bronchi)
les bronchioles the bronchioles
les côtes the ribs
la cage thoracique the rib cage
la plèvre the pleura
les poumons the lungs
le hile the hilum
les lobes the lobes
les scissures the fissures
les canaux the ducts
la respiration breathing
general verbs
inspirer/expirer breathe in/out
retenir son souffle hold one’s breath
tousser cough
éternuer sneeze
soupirer sigh
bailler yawn
siffler wheeze
collaber collapse
rétrécir narrow
frotter rub
s’épaissir thicken
Clinical examination
Inspirez = breathe in
Expirez = breathe out
Prenez une longue inspiration = take a deep breath
Ne respirez plus = hold it
Do you get breathless?
Are you short of breath?
Do you find it difficult to breathe in?
Do you cough a lot?
Do you bring up any sputum?
Have you ever coughed up blood?
Is your phlegm thick?
How long have you been smoking?
Diseases
détresse respiratoire respiratory distress
asthme asthma
broncho-pneumopathie obstructive chronique (BPCO)
chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD)
cancer des poumons lung cancer/carcinoma
pneumonie pneumonia
tuberculose tuberculosis (TB)
embolie pulmonaire pulmonary embolism
hémoptysie haemoptysis
apnée apnoea
essoufflé breathless
sifflements wheezing
essoufflement shortness of breath (SOB)
expectoration sputum/phlegm
amiante asbestos
silicose silicosis
pneumothorax pneumothorax
pleurésie pleurisy
fibrose fibrosis
emphysème emphysema
bronchite bronchitis
pharyngite pharyngitis
bronchiectasie bronchiectasis
pneumoconiose pneumoconiosis
mucoviscidose cystic fibrosis/mucoviscidosis
matité dullness
craquements crakles
Test your knowledge
1. Quizz
1. In the lungs, oxygen is absorbed into the blood. In which part of the lungs does this mainly happen?
a) bronchioles
b) trachea
c) bronchi
d) alveoli
2. What name is given to the maximum volume of air that can be breathed in or out of the lungs in one breath?
a) tidal volume
b) residual capacity
c) inspiratory reserve volume
d) vital capacity
3. Many of the airways in the lungs have goblet cells in their walls. What do these do?
a) move bacteria away from the lungs
b) secrete mucus
c) absorb oxygen
d) digest foreign particles
4. What muscular movements cause air to be drawn into the lungs?
a) diaphragm and external intercostal muscles relax
b) diaphragm and external intercostal muscles contract
c) diaphragm relaxes and external intercostal muscles contract
d) diaphragm contracts and external intercostal muscles relax
5. Which blood vessels carry deoxygenated blood towards the lungs?
a) pulmonary veins
b) venae cavae
c) aorta
d) pulmonary arteries
6. What is the function of surfactant in the lungs?
a) to prevent the alveoli collapsing
b) to release carbon dioxide into the air
c) to destroy micro-organisms that may be breathed in
d) to create a large surface area inside the lungs
7. Some of the airways are reinforced by cartilage, and this helps to keep the airways open. Which airways are reinforced in this way?
a) bronchioles and diaphragm
b) bronchi and alveoli
c) trachea and bronchi
d) trachea and alveoli
8. What is the correct description of the epithelium of the alveoli?
a) columnar
b) ciliated
c) pseudostratified
d) squamous
9. Smokers may develop a condition known as emphysema. What is this?
a) breakdown of the alveolar walls
b) an infection of the bronchial tree
c) a type of lung cancer
d) an infection of the pleural membranes
10. Cystic fibrosis is an inherited lung disorder, where the sufferer is unable to transport ions across cell membranes. Which ions cannot be transported?
a) hydrogencarbonate
b) sodium
c) chloride
d) potassium
2. Fill in the gaps in the text below:
The _________ (1) is the hollow where blood vessels and nerve fibres enter the lung. The __________ (2) are the two air passages leading from the ________(3) into the lungs, where they split into many ___________ (4). They can be narrowed by a lung condition called ___________ (5) in which the muscles go into spasm.
3. Case-report: Diagnosis of pulmonary diseases
Options:
A. mycoplasma pneumonia
B. Pneumoconiosis
C. Tuberculosis
D. Carcinoma of the bronchus
E. Cystic fibrosis
For each case below, choose the SINGLE most likely diagnosis from the above list of options.
1. A 30-year-old woman presents with fever, pharyngitis, and cough. The chest X-ray shows widespread, bilateral, patchy consolidation. Cold agglutinins are detected.
2. A 40-year-old alcoholic presents with repeated small haemoptysis and cough with mucoid sputum. His chest X-ray shows right upper lobe consolidation and a large central cavity. His Heaf test is positive.
3. A 60 year-old man presents with dyspnoea and cough. The X-ray shows extensive pulmonary fibrosis, bilateral pleural thickening, and pleural calcification.
4. A 14-year-old boy presents with repeated lower respiratory infections. On examination, he is noted to have finger clubbing and suffers from weight loss and steatorrhoea. The X-ray shows bronchial wall thickening, ring shadows of bronchiectasis, and wide-spread ill-defined shadowing.
5. A 40-year-old man presents with cough and haemoptysis. The X-ray shows a right hilar mass and a patch of consolidation in the right upper lobe laterally.
4. Fill in the following gaps:
It is commonly observed that smoking may cause a person to become b____________(1) when exercising. Nicotine constricts terminal b____________ (2). As a result g_________ (3) exchange is less efficient. Some smokers may develop a________ (4) which is a chronic inflammatory disorder that produces narrowing of airways. Symptoms include periods of c__________(5) and w___________(6). There is a test called l_______ f_________ test. (7)
Moreover cigarette smoking remains the leading cause of chronic b___________ (8), an inflammation of the b____________ (9) characterized by hypertrophy and hyperplasia of the glands and cells lining the bronchial airways. The result is an increase in secretions which are also called s_________ (10).
