[A case of leiomyoma of the intermediate bronchus]

Leiomyoma of the trachea and bronchus is a rare tumor. Only 45 cases have been reported in the Japanese literature. We report here a case of leiomyoma of the intermediate bronchus which was successfully operated on. A 45-year-old man suffered from a repeated episode of pneumonia in the right lower lobe. Bronchoscopy revealed a polypoid mass on the intermediate bronchus. The diagnosis of leiomyoma was made by bronchoscopic biopsy. Sleeve resection of the intermediate bronchus including the tumor and end-to-end anastomosis was performed. His postoperative course was uneventful and bronchoscopic findings showed clear healing of the anastomotic site. The resected specimen contained a tumor with smooth surface having protrusion into the bronchial lumen with 6 x 5 x 4 mm in size. The final pathological diagnosis was leiomyoma of the intermediate bronchus with no evidence of malignancy.