Primary tracheal schwannoma: a case report

Primary tracheal schwannoma: Bronchoscopic management of a rare tracheal tumour

Primary tracheal tumours are extremely rare, that originate from Schwann cells. We report a case of a primary tracheal schwannoma. A 60-year-old male who presented with noisy breathing, shortness of breath, and blood streaked phlegm. Chest CT scan showed an endotracheal mass which was resected bronchoscopically using Rigid bronchoscopy, electrocautery snare and cryoextraction. Biopsy confirmed the diagnosis of schwannoma.

Optimal treatment for primary benign intratracheal schwannoma: A case report and review of the literature

A 53-year-old male was admitted to Xinhua Hospital (Shanghai, China) due to coughing and dyspnea that had persisted for half a year, with aggravation of chest tightness and dyspnea for 1 week. Chest computed tomography (CT) revealed a mass within the distal third of the trachea. Flexible bronchoscopy confirmed an ~2.0 cm, smooth, tan-colored mass in the trachea, 2 cm above the carina. Endoscopic resection by argon plasma coagulation combined with electronic snaring was applied, however, recurrence was found 2 weeks later. Finally, the tumor was completely removed by surgery and the post-operative course was uneventful. Since schwannoma is rare in the intrapulmonary region and extremely rare in the trachea, a review of 51 cases of primary tracheal schwannoma previously reported in the English literature was performed. The majority of cases occurred in adults and were usually located in the distal third of the trachea. The predominant tumor size was 1-3 cm and airway obstruction symptoms were common. Half of the patients were misdiagnosed with asthma, and CT scan and bronchoscopy were contributory to the correct diagnosis. The treatment of choice depended on the patient's condition, however, surgery should be chosen in the event of local recurrence following endoscopic treatment.

Tracheal schwannoma: Completely resected with therapeutic bronchoscopic techniques

Tracheal schwannomas are rare benign tumors of the trachea. There are only a few reported cases in the literature. Surgeons have generally resected these tumors, whereas bronchoscopists have attempted to remove them bronchoscopically. We report a case of tracheal schwannoma which was completely resected using bronchoscopic techniques.