Bronchial granuloma - Where's the foreign body?

Airway masses are uncommon in children. The majority of bronchial tumors are granulomata secondary to an inhaled foreign body. However, other rare diseases like primary bronchopulmonary tumors should always be considered in the evaluation of a bronchial granuloma in children. The differential diagnosis of bronchial granuloma is presented. We report a 7-year-old girl with a 3-year history of recurrent cough and fevers who was found to have a bronchial granuloma in the left upper lobe bronchus. The diagnosis of foreign body-related granuloma was eventually made after combined and repeated rigid and flexible bronchoscopy. This case highlights the need to search aggressively for a foreign body in the presence of an airway granuloma in children, even in the absence of a history of aspiration. (C) 2000 Elsevier Science Ireland Ltd.