Surgical Resection of Tracheal Diverticulum with Haemoptysis as Unusual Presentation

Abstract

Tracheal diverticulum is defined as an air cyst located on the lateral wall, congenital or acquired. Most of them are asymptomatic, incidentally found on CT. The common symptoms are chronic cough, stridor, or recurrent respiratory infections. Asymptomatic diverticulum requires no treatment and managed conservatively while surgical excision is indicated in cases of local complications or symptom permanence. We report a case of tracheal diverticulum presented with haemoptysis, a rare symptom. The diagnosis was made with a CT that shows a 15 mm air image on the right lateral trachea wall. Due to symptoms' persistence, we decide to perform surgery with a good outcome.

Figure 1

The axial CT (a) shows right paratracheal air cysts, measuring 15 mm in the right posterolateral side of the trachea at the level of C6. On 3D reconstruction (b, c), the white arrow shows communicating channel with the tracheal lumen.

Figure 2

(a) The diverticulum is identified, exposed, and resected. The posterior membrane was sutured with absorbable thread. (b) The specimen was sent to the pathologist that confirmed that it was a benign cyst.