Recurrent tracheal tumor with a critical airway requiring 'Y' stent - unique presentation of tuberculosis.

Tracheal tumor is a rare entity. Tracheal tumor may be a primary tracheal tumor or secondary to invasion from a mediastinal tumor (or a lymph node). These tumors are prone to cause critical airway obstruction which may require urgent care. Tuberculosis is one of the common differential diagnoses of mediastinal lymphadenopathy in TB endemic countries, though isolated tuberculous mediastinal lymphadenopathy without a lung involvement is rare. We report an extremely rare case of isolated paratracheal lymphadenitis due to tuberculosis, eroding the trachea and presented a lower tracheal tumor, which recurred again after complete debulking. Finally, the disease required a 'Y' stent placement, to stabilize the airway following the second recanalization. We discuss the incidence, differential diagnosis, and the bronchoscopic, interventional aspects of this entity.

Mucormycosis: an unusual masquerader of an endobronchial tumour.

Pulmonary mucormycosis is a life-threatening invasive fungal infection usually seen in the background of immunosuppression, haematological malignancies, or uncontrolled diabetes. Immunocompetent hosts can also be affected. Isolated endobronchial mucormycosis is rare with only a few cases reported in the literature. Here, we present a case of an endobronchial mass masquerading as a tumour that was later diagnosed as invasive mucormycosis by histopathological examination.

Mediastinal lymphadenopathy in malignancy: metastatic or granulomatous?

Mediastinal lymphadenopathy in patients with malignancy may not be always metastatic disease. We present three patients with proven thoracic or extra thoracic malignancies with mediastinal lymphadenopathy which were subsequently proven as granulomatous lymphadenitis by endobronchial ultrasound guided transbronchial needle aspiration (EBUS-TBNA). The objective of the current report is to emphasise that granulomatous lymphadenitis should be considered as an important differential diagnosis in such patients especially in tuberculosis endemic countries like India.