title: Bronchoscopic observation of unusual deformities of bronchial cartilage and subsequent airway narrowing in respiratory relapsing polychondritis.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Relapsing polychondritis (RP) is a rare inflammatory disease characterized by recurrent chondritis and inflammation of other proteoglycan-rich tissues. An RP patient with co-existing respiratory tract problems could have a poor prognosis.
  
  
  METHODS
  We reported a case of RP died with recurrent suffocation. At the early stage in this case, unusual deformities of bronchial cartilage were observed. Following systemic corticosteroid therapy, these deformities disappeared, and typical diffuse mucosal edema and dynamic collapse of airways developed.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  These bronchoscopic abnormalities could be the early stage of RP.
authors.affiliation: 2 Department of Internal Medicine, Nagasaki University Hospital, Nagasaki, Japan.
authors.forename: Tetsuya
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Kawano
authors.forename: Hiroto
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Matsuse
authors.forename: Naoe
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Kinoshita
authors.forename: Tomoko
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Tsuchida
authors.forename: Tomoya
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Nishino
authors.forename: Chizu
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Fukushima
authors.forename: Tomayoshi
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Hayashi
authors.forename: Shigeru
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Kohno
keywords: deformity of bronchial cartilage; relapsing polychondritis; suffocation