Tracheal wall thickening

Tracheal wall thickening may have several causes. For diagnostic purposes, tracheal thickening may be categorized by length of airway involvement in order to narrow the differential diagnoses. Note that some etiologies may be associated with either focal or diffuse pattern of involvement.

Differential diagnosis

Focal tracheal wall thickening

• iatrogenic - resulting from prior intubation/tracheostomy
• inhalational injury
• tumor
  • primary - squamous cell carcinoma, adenoid cystic carcinoma, mucoepidermoid, neuroendocrine/carcinoid
  • secondary - metastasis
• tracheobronchial papillomatosis
• granulomatous processes
  • granulomatosis with polyangiitis
  • tuberculosis

Diffuse tracheal wall thickening

• post-intubation stenosis
• amyloidosis
• inflammatory bowel disease
• tracheobronchial papillomatosis
• relapsing polychondritis: characteristic sparing of posterior tracheal membrane
• granulomatous processes
  • granulomatosis with polyangiitis
  • sarcoidosis
  • infection (e.g. rhinoscleroma, tuberculosis)

See also

• diffuse tracheal narrowing

Siehe auch:

• Tuberkulose
• Sarkoidose
• Granulomatose mit Polyangiitis
• Amyloidose
• Chronisch-entzündliche Darmerkrankungen
• Tumoren der Trachea
• Raumforderungen der Trachea
• Rezidivierende Polychondritis
• tracheobronchiale Metastasen
• tracheal leiomyosarcoma
• invasive Aspergillose der Trachea
• klebsiella rhinoscleromatis
• laryngo-tracheal papillomatosis
• Amyloidose des Tracheobronchialsystem
• gestielte intratracheale Läsionen
• mukoepidermoides Karzinom
• Karzinoid der Trachea

und weiter:

• invasive tracheal aspergillosis
• tracheobronchial metastasis from rectal cancer