Coexisting pulmonary tuberculosis and unsuspected bronchial foreign body removed by fiberoptic bronchoscopy after 42 years.

Aspiration of foreign bodies into the tracheobronchial tree is extremely rare in adults without an underlying predisposing factor. A high index of suspicion is the most important factor leading to a diagnosis of tracheobronchial foreign body aspiration. Unless the patients give a clear history of aspiration, a foreign body may remain occult for years. To our knowledge, the longest bronchial foreign body retention in an adult recorded in English literature is 40 years. We present a case of coexisting pulmonary tuberculosis and unsuspected foreign body which remained in the bronchus of an adult for 42 years before the diagnosis.