Transtracheal endoscopic-assisted resection of a rare inflammatory myofibroblastic tumour in adult trachea: a case report.

SUMMARY: Inflammatory myofibroblastic tumours (IMTs) are rare and clinically benign in childhood, and malignant in adults. The aetiology of IMTs is not clear, and recent studies report it as true neoplasm rather than a reactive or inflammatory lesion. IMTs can involve any part of the body, but are usually common in lungs. These are rarely seen in adults and tracheal involvement is also rare in both adults and children. We describe an 18-year-old woman who presented with respiratory difficulty to the emergency department. On clinical examination, the patient had complete absence of breath sounds on the right side of the chest. CT of the chest and virtual bronchoscopy revealed a polypoidal soft tissue mass lesion involving the carina with occlusion of right main bronchus. Endoscopic-assisted resection was performed under general anaesthesia and the final pathological diagnosis was tracheal IMT.