Discussion
Diagnosis With Brief Discussion
- Diagnosis
- Tracheobronchopathia osteochondroplastica
- Radiologic Findings
- Chest radiograph shows diffuse narrowing of tracheobronchial lumen. Chest CT scans show nodular calcifications in the anterior and lateral wall of trachea, sparing posterior wall.
- Brief Review
- Tracheobroncopathia osteochondroplastica (TO), also called tracheopathia osteoplastica or osteochondroplastica, is a rare benign disease.
It is characterized by the presence of osteocartilaginous nodules (arrowheads in the left photomicrograph), within the submucosa of the cartilage-bearing airways, and affects only the anterior and lateral walls in the trachea. The clinical manifestations are variable, from asymptomatic presentation and incidental finding, to shortness of breath, cough, and hemoptysis. The mean age is 51 years for women and 42 years for men. Many different causes include chronic inflammatory or degenerative processes, ozena and chemical irritation, amyloidosis, infectious origin associated either with tuberculosis or syphilis, and hereditary causes, Two different theories of pathogenesis have been proposed: ecchondrosis and exostosis from the cartilage rings, or cartilaginous and osseous metaplasia of the elastic tissue in the internal elastic fibrous membrane. Radiographic abnormalities are usually confined to the trachea and proximal bronchi, manifested by diffuse luminal narrowing that may depict a nodular pattern.
Most reports described involvement of the trachea, but distal involvement at the level of the lobar bronchi manifesting atelectasis. CT, which is the imaging modality of choice, reveals the presence of abnormal nodular calcifications that protrude into the tracheal lumen involving the anterior and lateral walls, as well as wall thickening adjacent to the cartilages with sparing of the posterior or membranous portion of the tracheal wall, and deformed tracheal cartilage rings without evidence of extrinsic compression. Radiologic differential diseases include tracheobronchial amyloidosis, tracheobronchial papilomatosis, relapsing polychondritis, tracheal tumors, mediastinal fibrosis, mediastinal malignant tumors, lymphoma, Wegener granulomatosis, and Saber-sheath deformity. There is no specific therapy for this entity. Treatment options have varied from a conservative management, laser resection, and radiation therapy to more aggressive surgical repair or placement of stents to maintain the tracheal lumen.
- References
- 1. Restrepo S, Pandit M, Villamil MA, Rojas IC, Perez JM, Gascue A. Tracheobronchopathia osteochondroplastica: helical CT findings in 4 cases. J Thorac Imaging. 2004;19(2):112-6.
2. Zack JR, Rozenshtein A. Tracheobronchopathia Osteochondroplastica: Report of Three Cases. Journal of Computer Assisted Tomography. 2003;26(1):33-36.
- Keywords
- Airway, Non-infectious inflammation, Tracheal abnormality,