Background: Symptomatic respiratory tract involvement is not common in Crohn's disease. Upper-airway obstruction has been reported before in Crohn's disease and usually responds well to steroid treatment.
Case presentation: We report a case of a 32-year old patient with Crohn's disease who presented with progressively worsening dyspnea on exertion. Magnetic Resonance Imaging of the chest and bronchoscopy revealed severe tracheal stenosis and marked inflammation of tracheal mucosa. Histopathology of the lesion showed acute and chronic inflammation and extended ulceration of bronchial mucosa, without granulomas. Tracheal stenosis was attributed to Crohn's disease after exclusion of other possible causes and oral and inhaled steroids were administered. Despite steroid treatment, tracheal stenosis persisted and only mild symptomatic improvement was noted after 8 months of therapy. The patient subsequently underwent rigid bronchoscopy with successful dilatation and ablation of the stenosed areas and remission of her symptoms.
Conclusion: Respiratory involvement in Crohn's disease might be more common than appreciated. Interventional pulmonology techniques should be considered in cases of tracheal stenosis due to Crohn's disease refractory to steroid treatment.