Comparison between community-acquired pneumonia and post-obstructive pneumonia associated with endobronchial tumors

Abstract

Abstract Background Endobronchial tumors can infiltrate the bronchial wall or protrude into the bronchial lumen, causing post-obstructive pneumonia (POP). Differentiating between POP and community-acquired pneumonia (CAP) is challenging due to similar clinical, laboratory, and imaging findings, which can delay the diagnosis and treatment of endobronchial tumors. Methods We compared general demographic information, laboratory test results, lung CT images, bronchoscopic observations, pathological findings between the POP group and the CAP group. Results (1) The POP group consisted mainly of older individuals (mean age 69 vs. 56 years; P 1). Conclusions Endobronchial tumors combined with POP are easily misdiagnosed as CAP in the early stage. Factors like bronchial occlusion, stenosis, mucus embolism, and intraluminal shadows on MSCT are significant independent risk factors for these tumors, indicating the need for early bronchoscopy.

Keywords

• Post-obstructive pneumonia
• Community acquired pneumonia
• Endobronchial tumor