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The Authors report on a case of pure lipoma of the bronchus, one of the rarest of benign lung diseases. The article discusses the aetiopathogenesis of the lesion, still a source of debate among the various scholars, and its symptoms, which do not differ from those of other benign endobronchial lung diseases.

The authors report on the results obtained using vital staining in fiberoptic bronchoscopic investigations. Vital staining is performed during normal fiberoptic bronchoscopic investigations under local anesthesia. The method has proved very sensitive for cancerous and precancerous lesions of the bronchial mucosa.

99 pulmonary resections for benign tumors were performed during the period 1967-1978. 4 patients showed bronchial papilloma. Solitary papilloma of the bronchus is one of the rarest benign tumors; the differences of multiple papillomatosis and inflammatory polyp are stressed. Malignant change was observed in 3 of the 4 cases. The 4 patients presented a 2- to 5-year history of hemoptysis episodes and radiographic aspects characterized by intermittent atelectasis. Radical surgery is the only satisfactory therapy; endoscopic removal of the neoplasm is often incomplete and unsatisfactory.