TRACHEOBRONCHOPATHIA OSTEOCHONDROPLASTICA - REPORT OF A YOUNG MAN WITH SEVERE DISEASE AND RETROSPECTIVE REVIEW OF 18 CASES

Tracheobronchopathia osteochondroplastica (TPO) is a rare condition of unclear cause. Sporadic cases have been published from all over the w orld, but some geographical differences in the occurrence may exist. T he condition is characterized by cartilaginous or bony outgrowths into the lumen of the tracheobronchial tree. Clinicians should include thi s disease in the list of differential diagnoses when confronted with s ymptoms like persistent and often productive cough, haemoptysis, dyspn oea and wheeze. If the condition is extensive, there may occur unexpec ted and acute clinical problems. We describe the case of a young man i n whom we diagnosed a severe form of TPO while examining him for asthm a. This patient suffered also from ozaena and the combination of these two conditions is rather common. We also retrospectively reviewed our material of 18 cases with this condition.