Tracheobronchopathia Osteochondroplastica: Cause Of Difficult Transbronchial Needle Aspiration

Tracheobronchopathia osteochondroplastica (TO) is a rare benign disorder characterized by multiple cartilaginous or osseous submucosal nodules that project into the tracheobronchial lumen. The etiology of TO is unknown. Even though there are oblique references to the association between TO and malignancy, there is no convincing evidence of a relationship. Bronchoscopy is the only technique that firmly establishes the diagnosis of TO. However, even after the bronchoscopic examination, TO has been misdiagnosed. We report the case of a patient with a suspected tumoral infiltration of the trachea and 2 failed bronchoscopies. The final diagnosis was TO and small cell lung cancer. TO was the cause for a difficult transbronchial needle aspiration from mediastinal lymph nodes.