Question: What is (are) Tracheobronchopathia osteoplastica ?
Answer: Tracheobronchopathia osteoplastica (TO) is a rare condition of the large airways. It is characterized by the presence of multiple growths (nodules) made of bone and cartilage tissue, in the submucosa of the tracheobronchial wall. The nodules protrude into the spaces inside the trachea and bronchi, which can lead to airway obstruction. Affected people may have persisting or recurrent respiratory symptoms, and/or recurrent infections. The cause of TO is not currently known. There is no specific treatment to prevent the formation of nodules. Laser therapy or removal of the nodules may be needed in some cases.
Source: GARD

Question: What are the symptoms of Tracheobronchopathia osteoplastica ?
Answer: What are the signs and symptoms of Tracheobronchopathia osteoplastica? Symptoms of tracheobronchopathia osteoplastica (TO) may be absent or non-specific. Affected people may have various respiratory symptoms such as cough, wheezing, coughing up blood (hemoptysis), and/or recurrent upper airway infections. Stridor and low-pitched wheezing may occur if there is severe airway obstruction. In some cases, obstruction of the lobar bronchi can cause recurrent atelectasis (collapse of the lung) or pneumonia. Nodules seem to remain stable over years, or progress at a very slow rate. It is thought that over 90% of cases are diagnosed incidentally on autopsy. Rapid progression has been reported rarely. The Human Phenotype Ontology provides the following list of signs and symptoms for Tracheobronchopathia osteoplastica. If the information is available, the table below includes how often the symptom is seen in people with this condition. You can use the MedlinePlus Medical Dictionary to look up the definitions for these medical terms. Signs and Symptoms Approximate number of patients (when available) Abnormality of the skeletal system - Autosomal dominant inheritance - Cough - Dyspnea - Hemoptysis - Hoarse voice - Recurrent pneumonia - The Human Phenotype Ontology (HPO) has collected information on how often a sign or symptom occurs in a condition. Much of this information comes from Orphanet, a European rare disease database. The frequency of a sign or symptom is usually listed as a rough estimate of the percentage of patients who have that feature. The frequency may also be listed as a fraction. The first number of the fraction is how many people had the symptom, and the second number is the total number of people who were examined in one study. For example, a frequency of 25/25 means that in a study of 25 people all patients were found to have that symptom. Because these frequencies are based on a specific study, the fractions may be different if another group of patients are examined. Sometimes, no information on frequency is available. In these cases, the sign or symptom may be rare or common.
Source: GARD

Question: What causes Tracheobronchopathia osteoplastica ?
Answer: What causes tracheobronchopathia osteoplastica? The underlying cause of tracheobronchopathia osteoplastica (TO) remains unknown. Several theories have been proposed, including chronic airway inflammation, exostosis (formation of new bone), and metaplasia (abnormal cell changes) in the affected tissue. Numerous cases have been reported in association with different conditions including allergic rhinitis. However, no theories have been validated. There is no known genetic susceptibility to the development of TO.
Source: GARD

Question: How to diagnose Tracheobronchopathia osteoplastica ?
Answer: How is tracheobronchopathia osteoplastica diagnosed? Fiberoptic bronchoscopy is thought to be the best procedure to diagnose tracheobronchopathia osteoplastica (TO). This procedure is done when it is important to see the airways or to get samples of mucus or tissue from the lungs. It involves placing a thin, tube-like instrument through the nose or mouth and down into the lungs. During this procedure a bronchial biopsy is usually performed, but samples are sometimes hard to obtain. TO is usually an incidental finding during fiberoptic bronchoscopy, and is rarely suspected before the procedure is done.
Source: GARD

Question: What are the treatments for Tracheobronchopathia osteoplastica ?
Answer: How might tracheobronchopathia osteoplastica be treated? There is no specific treatment for tracheobronchopathia osteoplastica (TO). Recurrent infections and collapse of the lung are treated conventionally. Inhaled corticosteroids may have some impact on people in early stages of the condition, but whether they may be helpful for people with more advanced disease needs further study. Occasionally, tracheostomy may be needed. Surgical treatment options may be considered when all conservative therapies have been unsuccessful. The long-term outlook (prognosis) for affected people is generally good, but usually depends on the extension and location of the lesions. It has been reported that over 55% of affected people do not have any disease progression following the diagnosis.
Source: GARD