Tracheobronchial amyloidosis treated with rigid bronchoscopy and stenting

Tracheobronchial amyloidosis (TBA) is an uncommon disease that can cause airway obstruction. We present a case of TBA in a 20-year-old man that was treated successfully with rigid bronchoscopy and stenting. The patient presented with progressive dyspnea despite having had a tracheostomy fashioned at another institution. Airway obstruction secondary to TBA was found distal to the tracheostomy. The amyloid protein subtype was AA, which is uncommon and is seldom of clinical significance in the respiratory tract. The patient underwent rigid bronchoscopy to remove the amyloid protein causing the airway obstruction. A Dumon silicone stent was then inserted to alleviate the obstruction. Thereafter, he recovered well and was discharged without a tracheostomy. This report shows that in patients with TBA causing airway obstruction, excellent results can be obtained with rigid bronchoscopy and stenting of the obstructing lesion.