Bronchial granular cell tumor in a child: impact of diagnostic delay on the type of surgical resection.

Bronchial granular cell tumor is an uncommon tumor in young children. Recurrent pneumonia in the same site should raise suspicion of an obstructing granular cell tumor of the bronchus. We present a 10-year-old girl with an 18-month history of recurrent pneumonia caused by obstruction of the main lingular bronchus by this type of tumor. In our patient, an upper left lobectomy was only technically feasible instead of a lingulectomy alone because of the spread pulmonary inflammation and the depth of bronchial wall invasion by the tumor. Delayed diagnosis resulted in a more extensive pulmonary resection.