{
  "abstract": "Background: Tracheobronchopathia osteochondroplastica (TO) is an uncommon benign disorder characterized by osseous and/or cartilaginous submucosal nodules involving predominantly the anterolateral tracheobronchial walls. This case illustrates multimodal diagnosis and cautious interpretation of concomitant lower-airway bacterial recovery.\n\nCase presentation: A 63-year-old man presented with a 3-month history of cough and scant whitish mucoid sputum. Computed tomography (CT) demonstrated partially calcified anterolateral tracheobronchial nodules with relative posterior-wall sparing, a right-sided patchy pulmonary opacity, and multiple pulmonary nodules. Retrospective airway measurements showed a minimum tracheal luminal area of 179.4 mm2 and a minimum diameter of 10.0 mm at the same level. Bronchoscopy revealed hard yellow-white nodules involving the trachea and proximal bronchi; biopsy showed mature lamellar bone, supporting TO. A pooled bilateral bronchoalveolar lavage specimen obtained after empirical piperacillin/tazobactam had been started yielded Pseudomonas aeruginosa at >10⁴ CFU/mL, susceptible to piperacillin/tazobactam and levofloxacin. The patient received 5 days of intravenous piperacillin/tazobactam followed by 9 days of oral levofloxacin and airway-clearance treatment, with symptomatic improvement. He completed the oral course without reported adverse effects. At an outpatient visit approximately 3 months after discharge, he was asymptomatic. The treating clinician's comparison of follow-up CT with baseline images showed resolution of the pulmonary opacity, unchanged airway nodules, and stable pulmonary nodules. Repeat cultures were not obtained.\n\nConclusion: Concordant CT, bronchoscopic, and supportive histopathologic findings establish the diagnostic pattern of TO. Clinical and radiologic improvement supported a concomitant respiratory infection, but the organism's causal role and any causal contribution of TO remained unproven. This distinction supports conservative airway management and continued surveillance without attributing every pulmonary abnormality to TO.",
  "abstract_shown": true,
  "affiliations": [
    "Department of Respiratory Medicine, Suizhou Hospital, Hubei University of Medicine, Suizhou, China",
    "Department of Pathology, Suizhou Hospital, Hubei University of Medicine, Suizhou, China",
    "Department of Medical Imaging, Suizhou Hospital, Hubei University of Medicine, Suizhou, China"
  ],
  "article_type": "case report",
  "arxiv": null,
  "author_total": 6,
  "authors": [
    {
      "affs": [
        0
      ],
      "name": "Jinlin Li"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        0
      ],
      "name": "Dongmei Kuang"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        0
      ],
      "name": "Daihua Hu"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        0
      ],
      "name": "Canguo Xie"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        1
      ],
      "name": "Ling Liao"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        2
      ],
      "name": "Xin Dong"
    }
  ],
  "bibtex": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/5aakbhfkewjy7.bib",
  "cited_by": 0,
  "doi": "10.3389/fmed.2026.1972198",
  "fulltext_url": "https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC13731277/",
  "id": "5aakbhfkewjy7",
  "issns": [
    "2296-858X"
  ],
  "landing_url": "https://doi.org/10.3389/fmed.2026.1972198",
  "language": "en",
  "licence": "CC-BY-4.0",
  "licence_label": "CC BY 4.0",
  "licence_source": "article",
  "licence_url": "https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/",
  "metadata_licence": null,
  "native_subjects": [
    [
      "heading",
      "Case Report"
    ],
    [
      "openalex",
      "2740|Tracheal and airway disorders"
    ]
  ],
  "openalex": "W7223155876",
  "pdf_url": "https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/medicine/articles/10.3389/fmed.2026.1972198/pdf",
  "pmcid": "PMC13731277",
  "pmid": "42984822",
  "published": "2026-10-21",
  "publisher": "Frontiers Media SA",
  "ris": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/5aakbhfkewjy7.ris",
  "sources": [
    {
      "first_seen": "2026-11-08T12:21:30Z",
      "native_id": "PMC13731277",
      "source": "pmc",
      "url": "https://doi.org/10.3389/fmed.2026.1972198"
    }
  ],
  "subjects": [
    {
      "field": "medicine",
      "origin": "openalex:2740|Tracheal and airway disorders",
      "subfield": "general"
    }
  ],
  "title": "Case Report: Tracheobronchopathia osteochondroplastica with Pseudomonas aeruginosa recovered from bronchoalveolar lavage fluid",
  "title_text": "Case Report: Tracheobronchopathia osteochondroplastica with Pseudomonas aeruginosa recovered from bronchoalveolar lavage fluid",
  "type": "peer-reviewed",
  "updated_at": "2026-11-08T12:21:30Z",
  "url": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/5aakbhfkewjy7",
  "venue": "Frontiers in Medicine",
  "versions": []
}