Korean J Med.  2009 Feb;76(2):244-247.

Delayed diagnosis of an endobronchial foreign body confused with bronchial asthma

• Sun BJ
• Choi JY
• Bae YJ
• Park CS
• Kim TB
• Cho YS
• Moon HB

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.

Keyword

Foreign body; Aspiration; Chronic cough

MeSH Terms

Asthma
Bronchi
Cough
Delayed Diagnosis
Diagnosis, Differential
Female
Foreign Bodies
Hemoptysis
Humans
Middle Aged
Thorax