Tracheobronchopathia osteochondroplastica (TBPO) is an uncommon benign disease, characterized by osseous or metaplastic cartilaginous nodules in the submucosa of the tracheobronchial tree. TBPO is easy to misdiagnose due to its non-specific clinical manifestation. We describe two cases of TBPO. The first patient was a 57-year-old woman with nocturnal dry cough and wheezing, in whom bronchoscopy revealed small diffuse mucosal irregularities involving the airway until the segmental bronchi. The other patient was a 69-year-old man with progressive worsening dyspnoea and productive cough presenting with severe stenosis of the trachea. Histological examination of both cases was consistent with TBPO. These cases highlight distinct forms of presentation of this rare entity.
Learning points: Tracheobronchopathia osteochondroplastica (TBPO) can present as a diffuse large airway disease with mild obstructive symptoms or as severe tracheal obstruction.Direct observation by bronchial fibroscopy of lumen protrusions sparing the posterior wall is diagnostic.
Keywords: Rare diseases; bronchial fibroscopy; pulmonology; tracheobronchopathia osteochondroplastica.
© EFIM 2020.