Trichoptysis caused by intrapulmonary teratoma: computed tomography and magnetic resonance imaging findings

"Deceiving appearances": intrapulmonary teratoma-a diagnostic challenge

Intrapulmonary teratoma is a rare and little-known disease. The present case was that of an adolescent with recurrent cough and haemoptysis. Chest radiography revealed a mass on the left lung base, and computed tomography (CT) indicated a heterogeneous tumour with a fluid component, soft parts, fat, and calcifications in the left upper lobe. Upper left lobectomy was performed; histopathological findings confirmed a mature pulmonary teratoma.

Mediastinal teratoma and trichoptysis

We report the case of a 22-year-old woman suffering from mature mediastinal teratoma, revealed by trichoptysis, which is an exceptional, but pathognomonic symptom of intrathoracic teratomas. Only eight cases of trichoptysis are reported, none of them involved a mediastinal localization. We present the endoscopic and radiologic presentation, its surgical management, and histologic particularities.

Fibrobronchoscopic evidence of endobronchial hairs in intrapulmonary teratoma with hemoptysis but without trichoptysis

Intrapulmonary teratoma (IPT) is exceedingly rare, hence preoperative diagnose is usually inaccurate. A 21-year-old man was presented with a 5-year history of recurrent hemoptysis and left upper lung mass with heterogeneous opacity on chest x-ray. Diagnostic fibrobronchoscopy detected tuft of brownish hairs in the left upper anterior segmental bronchus, achieving the diagnosis of IPT preoperatively, which was further confirmed by lobectomy. The case report is noteworthy with fibrobronchoscopic finding of endobronchial hairs in a heterogeneous lesion, which underscores the important role of fibrobronchoscopy in the differential diagnoses of chronic cavitary lesions such as IPT without trichoptysis.