The saw-tooth sign as a clinical clue for intrathoracic central airway obstruction

The saw-tooth sign was first described by Sanders et al in patients with obstructive sleep apnea syndrome as one cause of extrathoracic central airway obstruction. The mechanism of the saw-tooth sign has not been conclusively clarified.

The sign has also been described in various extrathoracic central airway diseases, such as in burn victims with thermal injury to the upper airways, Parkinson's disease, tracheobronchomalacia, laryngeal dyskinesia, and pedunculated tumors of the upper airway.Case presentationA 61-year-old man was referred to our hospital with a two-month history of persistent dry cough and dyspnea. He was diagnosed with lung cancer located in an intrathoracic central airway, which was accompanied by the saw-tooth sign on flow-volume loops.

This peculiar sign repeatedly improved and deteriorated, in accordance with the waxing and waning of central airway stenosis by anti-cancer treatments.

Conclusion: This report suggests that the so-called saw-tooth sign may be found even in intrathoracic central airway obstruction due to lung cancer.

Author: Akira NakajimaTakeshi SarayaSaori TakataHaruyuki IshiiYoko NakazatoHidefumi TakeiHajime TakizawaHajime Goto
Credits/Source: BMC Research Notes 2012, 5:388

Published on: 2012-07-29

Copyright by the authors listed above - made available via BioMedCentral (Open Access). Please make sure to read our disclaimer prior to contacting 7thSpace Interactive. To contact our editors, visit our online helpdesk. If you wish submit your own press release, click here.

Comments

There are no comments available. Be the first to write a comment.

You need to enable Javascript to post a comment.

Custom Search