Tracheal leiomyoma imitating refractory asthma: A case report

Tracheal leiomyoma is an extremely rare benign tumor. It mostly presents in the third decade of life and mostly affects men. Herein, we describe a patient with tracheal leiomyoma which was treated as asthma for 2 years before definite diagnosis.

A 41-year-old female with a history of asthma was referred due to dyspnea and refractory cough. On bronchoscopic examination, a tumoral lesion was found in the distal trachea with near total obstruction and histopathologic examination of the bronchoscopic biopsy was inconclusive. The tumor was surgically resected. On the follow-up bronchoscopic examination, the trachea was normal and symptoms were relieved. Histopathologic results were compatible with Leiomyoma.

Airway leiomyoma is commonly misdiagnosed as asthma or bronchitis long before a definitive diagnosis. Fiberoptic bronchoscopy is the modality of choice for direct visualization of intraluminal lesions and tissue sampling. Surgical resection is the gold standard approach. The best surgical approach is not clearly determined to date and both endoscopic procedures and surgical resection have been utilized for treatment in case reports.

Usually there is a long interval between onset of clinical symptoms and a definite diagnosis. In the case of refractory signs and symptoms to medical treatment, alternative diagnosis should always be considered.