Surgeons Remove Tooth Lodged in Man's Lung
A 72-year-old man was treated after a tooth lodged in his airway for nearly three years was mistaken for a lung tumour.
Updated on Nov. 3, 2026 in Asthma
Doctors removed a human tooth from deep inside the airway of a 72-year-old man who had a persistent cough and repeated chest infections. The tooth had been lodged in the lung airway for nearly three years before it was found.
Why it matters
The case shows how a foreign object in the airway can be mistaken for a tumour and cause long-term inflammation and recurrent infections. It highlights the value of bronchoscopy when imaging points to a blocked small airway.
The evidence is a single published case report, with tissue tests showing inflammation but no cancer after the tooth was removed. The report does not say how common such cases are or how the patient fared in the long term.
The players
The Egyptian Journal of Bronchology
A medical journal that publishes clinical case reports and research on diseases of the airways and bronchial system.
The details
A CT scan revealed a blockage in a small airway in the lower part of the right lung, and bronchoscopy showed a smooth, reddish growth. Doctors removed the tooth with forceps and a retrieval basket after a cryoprobe could not grip its smooth, calcified surface.
Timeline
About three years before the procedure, the patient lost a tooth during a fainting episode.
October 31, 2026: case report published in The Egyptian Journal of Bronchology.
Big Picture
Foreign-body aspiration in adults is typically recognized through bronchoscopy when imaging shows a persistent airway obstruction. This case adds to documented reports where a long-retained object was initially mistaken for a tumour.
Persistent coughing or repeated chest infections that do not respond to standard treatment warrant evaluation for airway obstruction. Bronchoscopy can identify foreign objects that imaging alone may not clearly reveal.
The takeaway
Recurrent chest infections and a cough that will not clear may signal a blocked airway even when a tumour is suspected. Asking for a bronchoscopy can reveal the cause when imaging is unclear.
Further reading
Explore more on Asthma to understand airway conditions that cause persistent coughing and chest infections.
