1989 Volume 11 Issue 2 Pages 159-163
Tumors originating from the trachea often remain asymptomatic until they reach a very advanced stage. The case presented have had dyspnea, syncope and disturbed consciousness in the presence of common cold. The patient was diagnosed to have cerebrovascular diseases, hysteria, epilepsy and bronchial asthma. During treatment she had acute respiratory failure and was transported to the Emergency Center of our hospital. A 71-year-old woman had a chief complaint of disturbed consciousness. Early in December 1987, she had symptoms of the common cold. She visited a local doctor and received treatment with no improvement in her cough or wheezing and a tendency towards exacerbation. On January 2, 1988 dyspnea suddenly developed, for which she was admitted to an emergency hospital. During treatment, she frequency showed symptoms such as dyspnea, wheezing, syncope and cyanosis. She was treated under a diagnosis of neuropathy and bronchial asthma. On January 26, she had acute respiratory failure and was admitted to the Emergency Center of our hospital. From roentgenographic and bronchoscopic findings, primary tracheal carcinoma was diagnosed and tracheal tumor was resected. Histologically, the tumor was moderately differentiated squamous carcinoma. In the treatment of tracheal carcinoma differentiation from bronchial asthma is important. However, caution should also be exercised not to misdiagnose it for a neural disease as happened in the present case.