An Incidental Case of Tracheobronchopathia Osteochondroplastica Diagnosed When Extracting a Bronchial Foreign Body

Abstract

Case. A 94-year-old man presented after aspirating a dental crown during dental treatment. A chest X-ray showed a bronchial foreign body. He was referred to our hospital for extraction of the bronchial foreign body. Bronchoscopy showed a dental crown in the left lower bronchus. We removed the dental crown using a basket-type grasping forceps. At the time of the first bronchoscopic examination, multiple white nodules were noted in the trachea. We repeated the bronchoscopy and biopsied the nodules. The histopathologic findings confirmed a diagnosis of tracheobronchopathia osteochondroplastica (TO). Conclusion. With ageing, diseases associated with aspiration increase. Bronchial foreign bodies are also associated with aspiration. TO may be caused by chronic inflammation. There is a possibility that TO will increase because of aspiration-associated chronic inflammation.