bronkial

Bronkial is a term that can refer to the bronchial system of the respiratory tract, or serve as an alternative spelling of bronchial used in some texts or languages. In English, the standard form is bronchial. The root comes from Greek bronch-, meaning windpipe or airway, with the suffix -ial forming an adjective.

In medical use, bronchial denotes the bronchi, the air passages that branch from the trachea into the lungs and comprise the bronchial tree. The bronchial tubes conduct air to the alveoli and can become inflamed or constricted in conditions such as bronchitis or bronchial asthma. Related terms include bronchial hyperresponsiveness, bronchial secretions, and bronchial imaging; diagnostic and therapeutic procedures such as bronchoscopy and bronchial lavage are named for these passages.

Bronkial also appears as an alternative spelling in older or non-English medical texts and may occasionally function as a surname or in place names, though such uses are uncommon.

See also: bronchus, bronchial tree, bronchitis, asthma, bronchoscopy.