Tracheal Lipoma
Primary tracheal lipomas are extremely rare neoplasms. The typical patient is a middle-aged man with complaints of cough and shortness of breath. Often, the diagnosis is delayed, and patients are treated for asthma or bronchitis. The diagnosis of a tracheal lipoma is best approached by computed tomography (CT) and bronchofibroscopy. Tracheobronchial lipomas may be successfully excised endoscopically or by laser therapy. Open surgical resection is required when the lipoma extends extraluminally.

The majority of the tracheobronchial tumors are malignant. Benign tracheobronchial neoplasms are uncommon and most frequently are papillomas. Of the benign tumors of the tracheobronchial tree, only 3.2% to 9.5% are lipomas, most of them arising in the main stem bronchi. Tracheal location of a lipoma is extremely rare, with only eight cases reported in the English language literature. We describe another case of tracheal lipoma, in which the tumor was successfully removed endoscopically.