Successful Resection of a Fibroepithelial Polyp in the Upper Trachea Using an Electrosurgical Snare via Flexible Bronchoscopy Under General Anesthesia with a Laryngeal Mask Airway: A Case Report

A 35-year-old man presented with a 1-year history of exertional wheezing. Chest computed tomography performed at a local clinic revealed a 17-mm mass in the upper trachea. A bronchoscopy performed at a previous hospital suggested a solitary tracheal papilloma, leading to a referral to our department. Polyp resection was performed under general anesthesia using a flexible bronchoscope. Given the upper tracheal location of the polyp and the potential difficulty of retrieving it through a tracheal tube, a laryngeal mask airway was used. Bronchoscopy revealed a stiff, cauliflower-like, pedunculated polyp, 7 cm below the vocal cords. The polyp was resected using a 20-mm electrosurgical snare. A second snare resection was performed on the residual stalk, followed by additional argon plasma coagulation. The polyp was retrieved using basket forceps. Histopathological examination revealed that the polyp consisted of a broad fibrovascular core with dense fibrotic stroma and was covered by ciliated columnar epithelium of the trachea, leading to a diagnosis of fibroepithelial polyp. Although fibroepithelial polyps are common benign tumors of the skin and genitourinary tract, their occurrence in the trachea is rare. In this case, complete resection was safely achieved without complications via flexible bronchoscopy using an electrosurgical snare.