An Unusual Tracheal Tumour

Can Respir J Vol 21 No 6 November/December 2014 CASE PRESENTATION A 63-year-old man was referred to the authors’ centre for an anomaly discovered on routine preoperative chest radiograph. He was a former smoker with known metabolic syndrome and presented with no respiratory symptoms. A lateral chest radiograph revealed a round opacity in the mid-trachea (Figure 1). On computed tomography (CT) of the thorax, a 15 mm endotracheal nodule obstructing the middle one-third of the trachea was noted (Figure 2). The nodule had an average density of −126 Hounsfield units (HU), compatible with a high-fat tumoural content. This was suggestive of a benign diagnosis such as a lipoma or hamartoma. Bronchoscopy confirmed the presence of a pedunculated tumour originating from the lateral wall of the midtrachea and obstructing approximately 60% of its lumen (Figure 3). The tumour was succesfully removed via flexible bronchoscopy using an electrocautery snare (Figure 4). Subsequent pathological examination confirmed a diagnosis of endobronchial lipoma. No signs of relapse and normal tracheal patency were observed on control bronchoscopy performed six months after resection.