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Updated: May 10, 2026
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Heterotopic and Orthotopic Tracheal Transplantation in Mice used as Models to Study the Development of Obliterative Airway Disease
Published on: January 20, 2010
Tracheal pseudo-tumor caused by herpes simplex virus
Stamatis Katsenos1, Dimitrios Sampaziotis, Stavros Archondakis
1Department of Pneumonology, General Army Hospital of Athens, 158 Mesogion & Katehaki Avenue, 115 25 Athens, Greece. skatsenos@yahoo.gr.
Multidisciplinary Respiratory Medicine
|June 27, 2013
Summary
Herpes simplex virus (HSV) can rarely cause airway tumors. This case study reports the first instance of an endotracheal tumor caused by HSV in an immunocompetent individual, highlighting a novel presentation of this viral infection.
Area of Science:
- Pulmonology
- Infectious Diseases
- Oncology
Background:
- Herpes simplex virus (HSV) commonly causes mucocutaneous infections.
- Pulmonary HSV manifestations are rare, typically occurring in severely immunocompromised or critically ill patients.
- Endobronchial tumor-like lesions due to HSV are exceptionally uncommon.
Observation:
- A 75-year-old male presented with persistent hoarseness.
- Fiberoptic bronchoscopy revealed significant mucosal thickening in the trachea, causing stenosis.
- Biopsy analysis confirmed cytopathological changes indicative of HSV types 1 and 2 infection.
Findings:
- The patient was immunocompetent.
- Histopathology confirmed HSV infection as the cause of the endotracheal tumor-like lesion.
- This represents the first documented case of an immunocompetent individual with an endotracheal tumor caused by HSV.
Implications:
- This case expands the spectrum of clinical presentations for herpes simplex virus.
- It suggests that HSV should be considered in the differential diagnosis of endotracheal tumors, even in immunocompetent patients.
- Further research may elucidate the mechanisms behind HSV-induced tracheal lesions in non-immunocompromised individuals.
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