Objective: To demonstrate the diagnostic challenge of tracheal hamartoma in a patient with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).
Clinical presentation and intervention: A 65-year-old man with COPD was admitted with sudden onset of asphyxia attacks related to the position of his body. Computerized tomography (CT) of the neck showed a soft tissue mass with calcification, which occluded more than two-thirds of the proximal part of the trachea. The tumor was completely removed, and histopathology confirmed hamartoma.
Conclusion: This case report showed the detection of a primary tracheal tumor on CT. This finding enabled the correct diagnosis and led to appropriate treatment in the form of surgery.
© 2016 S. Karger AG, Basel.