Abstract
Eight cases of tracheobronchial inflammatory polyp were reported. The mean age was 60.6±12.5 years old and 6 were men. Seven were heavy smokers. Bloody sputum and abnormal chest X-ray were recognized in 3 patients, a sense of pharyngeal discomfort was felt by one, and one patient complained of fever. Four out of the 8 cases were complicated with some other lung disease. All polyps were solitary and smooth surfaced and in many cases were hemispherical and whitish or pink. Four were located in the trachea and 4 in bronchi. In only one case, the polyp was removed by electrocautery using a polypectomy snare. In other cases, the polyps were almost totally removed by forceps. The main histopathologic findings were interstitial edema and fibrotic change with inflammatory cells infiltration. The causative factors were unknown in many cases, however the fact that almost all patients were smokers suggested that chronic irritation in the airway by smoking is possibly involved in the etiology of inflammatory polyps.
