Relapsing polychondritis involving trancheobronchial tree : CT finding and differential diagnosis

2 Patients with relapsing polychondritis presented with tracheobronchial stenosis without clinical manifestation of nasal septum or ear lobe cartilage involvement. The initial CT findings included diffuse, smooth tracheobronchial wall thickening with or without narrowing of the lumen, polyhedral configuration of the narrowed tracheal lumen, and dense nodules within the thickened tracheal wall, not protruding into the tracheal lumen. On follow-up examination after steroid medication, tracheobronchial wall thickening was improved and dense nodules within the thickened'tracheal wall also nearly disappeared. Relapsing polychondritis should be considered in patient with diffuse tracheobronchial narrowing even when the typical clinical manifestation is not present.