Tracheobronchopathia Osteochondroplastica-Clinical, Radiological, and Endoscopic Correlation: Case Series and Literature Review

Tracheobronchomegaly associated with tracheobronchopathia osteochondroplastica: a case report

Tracheobronchomegaly (TBM) is a rare condition characterized by the dilatation of the trachea and bronchi due to severe atrophy of elastic fibers, accompanied by the thinning of the muscularis mucosae and the development of diverticula between cartilaginous rings. The etiology of this condition remains unclear. Tracheobronchopathia osteochondroplastica (TO) is another uncommon airway disease with an unknown etiology. The co-occurrence of these two diseases has not been reported. In this study, we report and discuss a case involving an elderly man with TBM and TO with a history of recurrent pneumonia over the past 6 years.

Clinicopathological Features and Management Principles of Tracheobronchopathia Osteochondroplastica - A Scoping Review

Tracheobronchopathia osteochondroplastica (TO) is an orphan disease of the tracheobronchial tree without any known etiological attributes. There are several case reports published on this condition, yet the available information about the TO is discrete and of little clinical value. This scoping review is the first large-scale review on TO that collates individual patient data from the published case reports and descriptively analyses the clinicopathological features of this unique condition along with its management approaches and therapeutic outcomes. The objective was to synthesize comprehensive literature review on TO that can aid clinical practice and further research. An electronic search conducted in five large databases, including PubMed, EMBASE, CINAHL, CENTRAL, and Web of Science, for the published articles of TO yielded 1072 items. After screening, the individual patient data of 371 TO cases from 228 eligible articles were included and analysed in this scoping review.

Supplementary Information

The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s12070-023-03998-6.

Tracheobronchopathia osteochondroplastica: rare but not to be forgotten

We report a case of a 59-year-old male with a one-month history of pleuritic chest pain who was diagnosed with tracheobronchopathia osteochondroplastica (TO). TO is a rare benign condition characterized by protruding submucosal nodules into the tracheobronchial lumen. The disease is generally asymptomatic, with rare cases of progressive nodularity, cough, dyspnoea, and haemoptysis. Diagnosis can be made via bronchoscopic visualization of bony and cartilaginous nodules on tracheal walls. Although generally benign, the rarity of this condition makes diagnosis difficult even for trained pulmonologists and frequently predisposes patients to unnecessary invasive diagnostic testing and improper management of symptoms and contributing co-morbid conditions. We present this case to increase physician and patient awareness about this disease to help improve diagnostic strategy and knowledge of disease manifestations and potential complications.