Clinical Characteristics of Six Cases of Tracheobronchopathia Osteochondroplastica

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the clinical characteristics of tracheobronchopathia osteochondroplastica (TO). METHODS: The clinical data of six patients with TO from November 2016 to November 2018 were retrospectively analyzed. The etiology, clinical manifestations, diagnosis, and treatment of TO were summarized. RESULT: All six patients with TO were middle-aged males, confirmed by histopathological examination. The main clinical symptoms were cough, sputum, hemoptysis, chest pain, and repeated pulmonary infection. Some patients could make a preliminary diagnosis by chest CT, and bronchoscopy showed that TO mainly occurred in the trachea and the main bronchus and was more likely to invade the right bronchus. The treatment mainly includes anti-infection, phlegm-resolving, and other symptomatic treatment. CONCLUSION: TO is a benign disease predisposing to adults, and males are more likely to be affected. Its clinical manifestations are lack of specificity, and the cause may be related to chronic infection. Bronchoscopy combined with histopathological examination is the primary approach for the diagnosis of TO. There is no well-recognized treatment standard for TO, and the judgment of therapeutic effect is inconsistent. It is necessary to improve the understanding of this disease from a clinical perspective.