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[Bronchial lipoma removed with bronchoscopic snaring forceps]
1Department of Internal Medicine, Chiba Municipal Hospital, Japan.
Insights
A rare endobronchial lipoma caused a woman's shortness of breath and pleural effusion. Low CT scan values aided in diagnosing this benign bronchial tumor.
Area of Science:
- Pulmonology
- Thoracic Surgery
- Medical Imaging
Background:
- A 62-year-old female presented with dyspnea, leading to the discovery of a significant left pleural effusion.
- Initial thoracentesis revealed purulent fluid, with Streptococcus intermedius identified as the causative agent.
Observation:
- Despite successful treatment for the empyema with antibiotics and chest drainage, a subsequent chest CT scan identified a left main bronchus mass.
- The mass was successfully resected using transbronchial electrosurgical snaring.
Findings:
- Histopathological examination confirmed the endobronchial mass to be a lipoma.
- Computed tomography (CT) imaging demonstrated characteristic low Hounsfield Unit (HU) values for the lipoma, ranging from -70 to -140 HU.
Implications:
- This case highlights the utility of low CT numbers in the differential diagnosis of endobronchial tumors.
- Early identification and characterization of such benign tumors can guide appropriate management and surgical approaches.
Abstract:
A 62-year-old woman was admitted to the hospital because of dyspnea. A chest X-ray film showed a massive left pleural effusion. Thoracentesis was done and purulent fluid was found. Streptococcus intermedius was detected in the fluid. Chest drainage and administration of antibiotics were successful, but computed tomography of the chest revealed a mass in the left main bronchus. The mass was removed with transbronchial electrosurgical snaring forceps and was found to be a lipoma. This tumor had low CT numbers (from -70 HU to -140 HU), and this finding may be useful in the differential diagnosis of endobronchial tumors.