Tracheomegaly and Bronchiectasis in a Patient with Systemic Lupus Erythematosus.

Tracheomegaly and bronchiectasis are clinical findings that present rarely as isolated findings. Often they are found in the setting of a systemic disease process or as a result of inflammation of the airways. We present a case of a 48-year-old man with evidence of tracheomegaly and bilateral bronchiectasis diagnosed on his initial admission for bacterial pneumonia. During the subsequent 18 months the patient had seven admissions for recurrent left lower lobe pneumonia. Flexible bronchoscopy revealed a variable collapse of the left mainstem bronchus and diffusely dilated airways as the cause of his recurrent infections. The patient underwent successful bronchoscopic placement of an expandable stent into the left mainstem bronchus. Further investigation revealed the presence of systemic lupus erythematosus. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]