Pulmonary tuberculosis complicated with bronchial lipoma: a case report and literature review

This case report presents a rare instance of intrabronchial lipoma in a patient with active pulmonary tuberculosis. A tumor located in the right lower bronchus was unexpectedly discovered during a bronchoscopy. Following a biopsy, the histopathological analysis confirmed it to be a lipoma. After six months of regular anti-tuberculosis treatment, most of the patient's tuberculosis lesions were absorbed. The lipoma in the right lower bronchus was completely removed using bronchoscopic High-frequency electric snare. After 339 days, a follow-up bronchoscopy revealed that only a few white scars remained in the wall of the right lower bronchus. The size of the lumen was unaffected, and there was no deterioration in the patient's pulmonary tuberculosis. However, it remains unclear whether the removal of the right lower bronchial lipoma contributed to the recovery from pulmonary tuberculosis. Narrow Band Imaging (NBI) technology proved useful in safely guiding the High-frequency electric snare procedure.