Chest
Volume 63, Issue 1, January 1973, Pages 110-112
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Special Reports
Endobronchial Polyp

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A case of benign endobronchial polyp is reported. The unusual feature is that the major signs and symptoms, consisting of dyspnea, absence of breath sounds in one lung, and massive atelectasis of the same lung at roentgenologic examination, occurred suddenly. A “polyp,” exactly duplicating the structure of the benign nasal polyps, was removed at endoscopy, with immediate relief of symptoms and return to normal conditions. In the absence of any history of chronic inflammatory disease of the respiratory tract and in the light of the microscopic structure of the polyp showing prominent edema and congestion, it is assumed that the endobronchial lesion resulted from a progressive accumulation of edema fluid in the bronchial mucosa, ultimately giving rise to massive mucosal herniation and bronchial occlusion.

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Clinical Data

A 76-year-old woman was first seen in the emergency room of this hospital with the chief complaints of right shoulder pain, wheezing and increasing dyspnea. These symptoms had been present in a milder form for approximately eight months, but in the last two to three months had increased in severity in conjunction with weight loss and a feeling of fatigue and lassitude. She denied asthma, fever, chills, cough, hemoptysis and smoking habit. Her history was essentially not remarkable and she had

DISCUSSION

This case, together with a few case reports by others,4, 5, 6, 7 forms a distinct group of endobronchial polyps characterized by rapidly progressing signs and symptoms of bronchial obstruction in the absence of preceding manifestations of tracheobronchial or pulmonary disease. The term polyp, per se, has no histopathologic connotation; it just means a protruding growth arising from a mucous membrane. As such, the term well applies to the endobronchial mass of our case. All attempts to classify

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Cited by (10)

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    2005, Annals of Thoracic Surgery
  • Tracheal polyp

    2002, Annals of Thoracic Surgery
    Citation Excerpt :

    With small mildly symptomatic lesions, some have reported success with steroids and antibiotics [6, 7]. When more urgent relief of airway compromise is needed, the majority of polyps are amenable to bronchoscopic removal [8–10]. When necessary, the lesion must be removed surgically by means of a thoracotomy or sternotomy [1].

  • Endobronchial fibroepithelial polyp

    2012, Journal of Bronchology and Interventional Pulmonology
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Supported by the Lydia Raymond Publication and Research Fund, Framingham Union Hospital

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