Delayed diagnosis of an endobronchial foreign body confused with bronchial asthma / 대한내과학회지

ABSTRACT

Tracheobronchial foreign bodies can remain undetected for months, or even years, and often present as chronic respiratory symptoms, such as an intractable cough. We report the case of a 51-year-old woman with a cough for over 3 years and hemoptysis for 2 weeks. She had been treated for asthma for the previous 3 years because of her cough, wheeze, and positive bronchodilator response. Her symptoms waxed and waned. Her chest X-ray showed a new mass-like opacity and ill-defined infiltration in the right lower lobe. Computed tomography showed a 2.5-cm mass-like lesion in the right infrahilar area. At fiberoptic bronchoscopic, a solid foreign body was found in the right lower lobe bronchus and was identified as a fish bone. Tracheobronchial foreign body aspiration should always be considered in the differential diagnoses of radiographic lesions or chronic respiratory symptoms that cannot be easily explained.