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Case Reports
. 2018 Jul 12;10(7):e2974.
doi: 10.7759/cureus.2974.

Case of Missing Plastic: Foreign Body Bronchiectasis

Saketh Palasamudram Shekar  1 , Pablo Bajarano  2 , Anas Hadeh  1 , Edward Rojas  3 , Samantha R Gillenwater  3 , Edward Savage  4 , Jinesh PpP Mehta  1
Affiliations
Case Reports

Case of Missing Plastic: Foreign Body Bronchiectasis

Saketh Palasamudram Shekar et al. Cureus. .

Abstract

Bronchiectasis is a well-known entity where the airways abnormally dilate losing their natural function. Most common causes of non-cytic fibrosis bronchiectasis in the middle age group include secondary immunodeficiency, aspiration, and allergic bronchopulmonary aspergillosis (ABPA). Obstructive foreign body is an uncommon cause of bronchiectasis and is often a missed diagnosis in a localized disease. Foreign bodies can be missed making the diagnosis and treatment more challenging and hence foreign body bronchiectasis should be considered in patients presenting with focal disease. Here we describe a patient with a retained foreign body that was discovered post lobectomy during gross pathological examination of the specimen with no significant aspiration history, non-diagnostic imaging of the chest and negative bronchoscopy.

Keywords: foreign body; non cystic fibrosis bronchiectasis; surgical pathology.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors have declared that no competing interests exist.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1. Computed tomography of the chest.
Axial view of computed tomography of the chest at the level of lower lobes indicating bronchiectatic changes of the airway (arrow).
Figure 2
Figure 2. Pathology gross specimen.
Gross specimen of the resected right lower lobe showing the non-surgical foreign body (circle).
Figure 3
Figure 3. The retained foreign body (scale in centimeters).
Retrieved foreign body during pathological examination of the gross specimen.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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