Fatal left atrial air embolism as a complication of percutaneous transthoracic lung biopsy:A case report

BACKGROUND Computed tomography(CT)-guided percutaneous lung biopsy is a common protocol in the context of diagnostic thoracic oncology,but entails a risk of complications including systematic air embolism(SAE).While SAE is often well tolerated,it can be difficult to treat and may result in rapid mortality in some cases.CASE SUMMARY We report a rare case of left atrial SAE in a 71-year-old woman who underwent a CT-guided lung biopsy of a pulmonary nodule in the posterior basal segment of the right lower lobe.Shortly following needle extraction,she experienced a mild cough,hemoptysis,rapid-onset unconsciousness,and cardiopulmonary arrest.Cardiopulmonary resuscitation was immediately performed,but the patient died 40 min after the procedure.A closer review of collected CT scans revealed the presence of a large volume of air within the left atrium.CONCLUSION Although SAE is generally well tolerated and asymptomatic,interventional radiologists must be aware of the risk of fatal outcomes and establish appropriate emergency management protocols.In this report,the characteristics,mechanisms,and treatment recommendations associated with SAE are discussed in an effort to improve the survival of affected patients.

Computed tomography fluoroscopy guided percutaneous lung biopsy for ground-glass opacity pulmonary lesions:A meta-analysis

AIM： To obtain the diagnostic performance of percu-taneous transthoracic needle biopsy （PTNB） under Computed tomography （CT） fuoroscopy guidance for lung ground-glass opacity （GGO）.METHODS： We searched for English- and Chinese-language studies in PubMed, EMBASE, EBSCO, OVID, and CNKI （China National Knowledge Infrastructure） database. Data were calculated with Meta-Disc version 1.4 and Rev Man version 5.2 software. From the pooled data, we calculated sensitivity （Sen）, specificity （Spe）, positive likelihood ratio （＋LR）, negative likelihood ratio （-LR）, and diagnostic odds ratio （DOR）. Summary receiver operating characteristic （SROC） curves were constructed and incidence of complications was recorded.RESULTS： Four documents included in this present meta-analysis met the criteria for analysis. The pooled Sen, Spe, ＋LR, -LR and DOR with 95%CI were 0.91 （0.86-0.95）, 1.0 （0.91-1.0）, 18.64 （4.83-71.93）, 0.11 （0.05-0.26） and 153.17 （30.78-762.33）, respectively. The area under the SROC curve was 0.98. The incidence of pneumothorax and hemoptysis was 17.86%-51.80% and 10.50%-19.40%, respectively.CONCLUSION： CT fuoroscopy-guided PTNB, which has an acceptable incidence of complications, can be used as a primary examination method for lung GGO, with moderate sensitivity and specifcity.

Diagnostic value of diffuse and peripheral lung lesions by transbronchial lung biopsy

Objective To evaluate the diagnostic value of transbronchial lung biopsy(TBLB)via bronchoscope for lung diffuse lesions and peripheral pulmonary lesions.Methods The results of TBLB were retrospectively analyzed from 256 diagnoses of unknown patients with lung diffuse lesions or peripheral lung lesions.Results Eighty-nine final diagnosis cases via TBLB only once,the diagnostic rate of double lung diffuse lesions was the highest,[51.06%(24/47)],local non-nodule lesions,nodule lesions,cavity lesions were 33.33%(23/69),29.91%(35/117),and 28.57%(4/14),respectively.Among 24 diagnostic cases of double lung diffuse lesions,there were 6 cases of pneumonia of pulmonary tuberculosis,9 cases of lung carcinoma,7 cases of adenocarcinoma;6 cases of pneumonia,2 cases of fungous infection,and 1 case of lung hemosiderosis.The diagnostic yield about 58 cases of local lesions was low,among which non-nodule lesions accounted for 33.33% and nodule lesions accounted for 29.91%.In 89 cases of peripheral lung lesions with histological diagnosis,lung carcinoma and pulmonary tuberculosis were frequent diseases,which accounted for 86.52%.Conclusion TBLB is a reliable,safe,effective and repeatable operation method in diagnosis of lung diffuse lesions and peripheral pulmonary lesions.

Cerebral air embolism complicating transbronchial lung biopsy: A case report

BACKGROUND In this case report we describe an extremely rare case of cerebral air embolism following transbronchial lung biopsy(TBLB).Only a few cases of this rare complication were described previously.Every bronchologist should recognize this severe adverse event.Prompt recognition of this complication is mandatory in order to initiate supportive measures and consider hyperbaric oxygen therapy.CASE SUMMARY In this case report we describe an extremely rare case of cerebral air embolism following TBLB.Only a few cases of this rare complication were described previously.Our patient had an incidental finding of lung tumour and pulmonary emphysema.Cerebral air embolism developed during bronchoscopy procedure,immediately after the third trans-bronchial lung biopsy sample and caused cerebral ischaemia of the right hemisphere and severe left-sided hemiplegia.Despite timely initiation of hyperbaric oxygen therapy hemiplegia didn´t resolve and the patient died several weeks later.Cerebral air embolism is an extremely rare complication of TBLB.This condition should be considered in case the patient remains unresponsive or presents with acute neurological symptoms in the postintervention period since early recognition,diagnosis and hyperbaric oxygen therapy initiation are key factors determining the patient´s outcome.CONCLUSION Within this report,we conclude that air/gas embolism is an extremely rare complication after TBLB,which should be considered in case the patient remains unresponsive or presents with acute neurological symptoms in the postintervention period after bronchoscopy.The current gold standard for diagnosis is computed tomography scan of the head.After recognition of this complication we suggest immediate hyperbaric oxygen therapy,if available.

Two methods of lung biopsy for histological confirmation of acute fibrinous and organizing pneumonia:A case report

BACKGROUND Acute fibrinous and organizing pneumonia(AFOP)is a rare,noninfective lung disease,histologically characterized by a patchy distribution of intra-alveolar fibrin“balls”and organizing pneumonia.The clinical manifestations of AFOP are nonspecific.Diagnosis depends on pathology.Surgical lung biopsy is optimal for tissue sampling to diagnose AFOP.However,many patients have no tolerance to the operation,including mentally and physically.There is still no standard therapy for AFOP and the methods remain controversial.Therefore,further clinical attention and discussion are warranted.CASE SUMMARY A 53-year-old woman presented with fever,cough and dyspnea for 15 d.Antiinfective therapy was ineffective.Chest computed tomography showed bilateral patchy consolidation,especially in the lower lobes.We performed both ultrasound-guided transbronchial lung biopsy and ultrasound-guided percutaneous fine needle puncture at different lung lesion locations.Both samples supported the diagnosis of AFOP.The patient had a good clinical course after treatment with methylprednisolone,and no side effects of steroids.CONCLUSION Percutaneous needle biopsy combined with transbronchial lung biopsies may be a good choice in the absence of surgical biopsy.Methylprednisolone alone is effective in the treatment of idiopathic AFOP.

Diagnostic efficiency and complication rate of CT-guided lung biopsy： a single center experience of the procedures conducted over a 10-year period

Background Computed tomography （CT）-guided transthoracic lung biopsy is a well-established technique for the diagnosis of pulmonary lesions. The objective of this study was to evaluate the diagnostic efficiency and complication rate of CT-guided lung biopsy in a Chinese population. Methods CT-guided cutting needle lung biopsies were performed in our institution on 1014 patients between January 2000 and October 2010. A chest radiograph was taken after the biopsy. Data about basic patient information, final diagnosis, and complications secondary to biopsy procedure （pneumothorax and bleeding） were extracted. Results The diagnostic efficiency of CT-guided lung biopsy was 94.8%; only 53 patients did not get a final diagnosis from lung biopsy. Final diagnoses found 639 malignant lesions （63.0%） and 322 benign lesions （31.8%）. Pneumothorax occurred in 131 patients and 15 required insertion of an intercostal drain. Small hemoptysis occurred in 41 patients and mild parenchymal hemorrhage occurred in 16 patients. The overall complication rate was 18.5%. Conclusions CT-guided cutting needle biopsy of pulmonary lesions is a relatively safe technique with a high diagnostic accuracy. It can be safely performed in clinical trials.

Endobronchial Ultrasound-guided Transbronchial Needle Aspiration Increases the Yield of Transbronchial Lung Biopsy for the Evaluation of Peribronchial Lesions

Background： Due to absence of visible endobronchial target, the diagnostic yield of flexible bronchoscopy for peribronchial lesions has been unsatisfactory. Convex probe endobronchial ultrasound （CP-EBUS） has allowed for performing real-time transbronchial needle aspiration （TBNA） of enlarged hilar and mediastinal lymph nodes and therefore could also be used as a means of diagnosing proximal peribronchial lesions. Methods： We retrospectively analyzed the results related to 72 patients who underwent CP-EBUS for peribronchial lesions without endobronchial involvement and adjacent to three-grade bronchi based on chest computed tomography （CT） scan. We recorded the images during EBUS as well as the diagnostic results of TBNA and conventional-transbronchial lung biopsy/brush （C-TBLB/b）, and final diagnoses were based on pathologic analysis and follow-up. Results： In all cases, the mass was able to be identified using EBUS in 97.2% patients （70/72） who were performed with EBUS-TBNA ＋ C-TBLB/b. Sixty-six patients had a final diagnosis, 80.0% patients （56/70） had malignancies, and 14.3% patients （10/70） had benign disease. In malignancies, the diagnostic yield of C-TBLB/b was 57.1% （32/56） and in EBUS-TBNA was 85.7% （48/56）, whereas pathologic diagnosis reached 94.6% when EBUS-TBNA was combined with C-TBLB/b. C-TBLB/b ＋ EBUS-TBNA also exhibited stronger potency of histolytic diagnosis for malignancies than either EBUS-TBNA or C-TBLB/b alone. Furthermore, there are data supporting the value of EBUS-TBNA for the diagnosis of benign lung disease. Conclusion： The combined endoscopic approach with EBUS-TBNA and C-TBLB/b is an accurate and effective method for the evaluation of peribronchial lesions, with better results than using each technique alone.

RISK FACTORS OF CT-GUIDED PERCUTANEOUS LUNG BIOPSY COMPLICATIONS

Objective To evaluate the complication rate of CT-guided percutaneous lung biopsy and determine the risk factors for complications. MethodsA retrospective investigation of CT-guided percutaneous lung biopsy carried out between 2002 and 2009 was performed. The risk factors for complications were determined by multivariate analysis of variables related to patient demographics, lung lesions, and biopsy procedures. ResultsA total of 281 biopsy procedures were enrolled. The total complication rate was 55.9% with pneumothorax 32.4% (91/281) and bleeding 34.5% (97/281). The risk factors affecting pneumothorax rate were lesion location, lesion depth, and time of pleural pierce; and the risk factors affecting bleeding complications were lesion depth, lesion size, and age. Predictive models for pneumothorax and bleeding were established by logistic regression. The pneumothorax model had a sensitivity of 80.0% with a specificity of 62.4%,and the bleeding model had a sensitivity of 67.4% with a specificity of 88.8%. ConclusionLesion location, lesion depth, and number of pleural passes were independent risk factors for pneumothorax. Lesion size, lesion depth, and age were independent risk factor for bleeding. The predictive models for pneumothorax and bleeding will helpfully reduce the complication of CT-guided lung biopsy.

Value of low-dose and optimized-length computed tomography(CT)scan in CT-guided percutaneous transthoracic needle biopsy of pulmonary nodules

Objective:To investigate the value of application of low-dose and optimized length CT scan on puncture results,complications and patients’radiation dosage during CT-guided percutaneous biopsy of pulmonary nodules(PTNB).Methods:A total of 231 patients with PTNB under CT guidance were collected.Low dose scanning utilized tube current of 20 mA as compared with 40 mA in conventional dosage.Optimized length in CT is defined as intentionally narrowing the range of CT scanning just to cover 25 mm(5 layers)around the target layer during needle adjustment.According to whether low-dose scans and optimized length scans techniques were utilized,patients were divided into three groups:conventional group(conventional sequence+no optimization),optimized length group(conventional sequence+optimized length),and low-dose optimized length group(low dose sequence+optimized length).The ED(effective dose),the DLP(dose length product),the average CTDIvol(Volume CT dose index),total milliampere second between subgroups were compared.Results:Compared with the conventional group,ED,intraoperative guidance DLP,total milliseconds and operation time in the optimized length group were reduced by 18.2%(P=0.01),37%(P=0.003),17.5%(P=0.013)and13.3%(P=0.021)respectively.Compared with the optimized length group,the ED was reduced by 87%,preoperative positioning,intraoperative guidance and postoperative review DLP were also reduced by 88%,total milliampere second was reduced by 79%,with an average CTDIvol was reduced by 86%,in the low-dose optimized length group(P<0.001 for all).Conclusion:Optimizing the length during CT scanning can effectively reduce the intraoperative radiation dose and reduce the operation time compared with conventional plan;low-dose and optimized length CT scan can further reduce the total radiation dose compared with optimized length group with no differences on intraoperative complications,biopsy results and operation time.

Diagnosis based on electromagnetic navigational bronchoscopyguided biopsied peripheral lung lesions in a 10-year-old girl:A case report

BACKGROUND Electromagnetic navigational bronchoscopy(ENB)is an emerging diagnostic tool that enables practitioners to biopsy peripheral lung tissues that were previously only accessible under computed tomography(CT)guidance.However,few studies have investigated ENB use in children.Here,we report a case of a 10-yearold girl with peripheral lung lesions who complained of a 7-d persistent fever.She was diagnosed with Streptococcus parasanguinis infection based on findings obtained using ENB-guided transbronchial lung biopsy(TBLB).CASE SUMMARY A 10-year-old girl presented with constitutional symptoms of cough and fever of 7 days’duration.Chest CT scans detected peripheral lung lesions and no endobronchial lesions.TBLB performed under the guidance of an ENB Lungpro navigation system was safe,well-tolerated,and effective for biopsying peripheral lung lesions.Examination of biopsied samples indicated the patient had a pulmonary Streptococcus parasanguinis infection,which was treated with antibiotics instead of more invasive treatment interventions.The patient’s symptoms resolved after she received a 3-wk course of oral linezolid.Comparisons of pretreatment and post-treatment CT scans revealed absorption of some lung lesions within 7 mo of hospital discharge.CONCLUSION ENB-guided TBLB biopsying of peripheral lung lesions in this child is a safe,well-tolerated,and effective alternative to conventional interventions.

Cryptococcal antigen testing of lung tissue homogenate improves pulmonary cryptococcosis diagnosis:Two case reports

BACKGROUND Pulmonary cryptococcosis(PC)is an opportunistic infectious disease of the respiratory system.Lung tissue biopsies,culture of respiratory samples(e.g.,sputum,lung tissue,pleural fluid,and bronchoalveolar lavage fluid),and cryptococcal antigen(CrAg)testing are helpful for a definitive diagnosis.However,these tests are sometimes falsely negative.PC is often misdiagnosed or underdiagnosed owing to the absence of obvert symptoms,poor imaging specificity,and false-negative laboratory tests.CASE SUMMARY We report two female patients who underwent computed tomography-guided percutaneous needle pulmonary biopsy of a lung nodule for a confirmed diagnosis.In both patients,the CrAg test on the lung biopsy tissue homogenate was positive,while the serum CrAg test was negative.Combined with the lung tissue pathology,we made the diagnosis of PC.Antifungal therapy was effective in both patients.CONCLUSION Given the findings of our cases and the literature review,lung tissue homogenate CrAg testing can be helpful in improving the diagnosis of PC.

Organizing pneumonia secondary to pulmonary tuberculosis:A case report

BACKGROUND Organizing pneumonia secondary to pulmonary tuberculosis is rare.Moreover,the temporal boundary between pulmonary tuberculosis and secondary organizing pneumonia has not been defined.We report a case of secondary organizing pneumonia associated with pulmonary tuberculosis occurring after nine months of antituberculosis treatment.CASE SUMMARY A 54 years old man,previously diagnosed with pulmonary tuberculosis and tuberculous pleurisy,underwent nine months of antituberculosis treatment.Follow-up lung computed tomography revealed multiple new subpleural groundglass opacities in both lungs,and a lung biopsy confirmed organizing pneumonia.Treatment continued with anti-tuberculosis agents and hormone therapy,and subsequent dynamic pulmonary computed tomography exams demonstrated improvement in lesion absorption.No disease recurrence was observed after corticosteroid therapy discontinuation.CONCLUSION When treating patients with active pulmonary tuberculosis,if an increase in lesions is observed during anti-tuberculosis treatment,it is necessary to consider the possibility of tuberculosis-related secondary organizing pneumonia,timely lung biopsy is essential for early intervention.

Diffuse alveolar hemorrhage with histopathologic manifestations of pulmonary capillaritis:Three case reports

BACKGROUND Diffuse alveolar hemorrhage(DAH)is a multicause pulmonary capillary hemorrhage or pulmonary vascular small vessel injury(mainly capillaries,including arteries and veins),causing pulmonary microcirculation blood to accumulate in the alveolar space.DAH is classified by the histological absence or presence of pulmonary capillaritis(PC)and is rarely reported in the literature.CASE SUMMARY This is a report of three girls aged 6-11 years with DAH and PC.Two patients had decreased hemoglobin and one had increased erythrocyte sedimentation rate.High-resolution computed tomography showed bilateral diffuse pulmonary infiltrate,and diagnosis of PC was confirmed by lung biopsy.Immunofluorescence test in one case showed granular IgG and a small amount of granular IgA deposit on the alveolar walls,and was negative in the other two cases,describing isolated pauci-immune PC.Treatment was with glucocorticoid alone or combination with immunosuppressants,and the symptoms resolved in all patients.CONCLUSION PC is classified as isolated and immune-mediated PC associated with systemic disease.It can be controlled in most children with glucocorticoid alone or combined with immunosuppressants.

Diagnostic Value and Safety of CT and US-Guided PTNB for Peripheral Pulmonary Lesions: A Meta-Analysis and Clinical Study

Objective: To evaluate the diagnostic value and safety of CT and ultrasound-guided PTNB for peripheral type of occupying lung lesions by meta-analysis and clinical study. Methods: 1) The target data of randomized controlled trials of CT and ultrasound-guided PTNB for peripheral type of occupying lung lesions were extracted by computer search of foreign PubMed, Embase, the Cochrane Library, Web of Science databases, since the establishment of the database. Cochrane quality assessment criteria were used for evaluation. Statistical analysis was performed using Review Manager 5.3 software. 2) To retrospectively study the diagnosis rate and complication rate of patients, undergoing CT or ultrasound-guided PTNB in the First Affiliated Hospital of Dali University from January 2015 to December 2020. Results: Meta-analysis included 7 papers with a total of 1177 patients including 502 patients in the ultrasound group and 675 patients in the CT group. Meta-analysis results showed that there was no difference in the diagnosis rate of PTNB guided by ultrasound and CT. The incidence of postoperative complications was higher in the CT group than in the ultrasound group. The incidence of postoperative pneumothorax was higher in the CT group than in the ultrasound group, and there was no difference in the incidence of postoperative bleeding. 3) Clinical study results show that the puncture success rate was 100% in both of the ultrasound and CT groups, the pathological diagnosis rate was 85.48% in the ultrasound group and 91.67% in the CT group, and there was no difference in the overall complication rate between the two puncture groups. Conclusion: Either ultrasound or CT-guided PTNB is a safe and effective clinical diagnostic method for the diagnosis of peripheral pulmonary occupations.

Clinical features of 5 cases of allergic granulomatous vasculitis

Objective:allergic granulomatous vas-culitis is relatively rare in clinic.We aimed to analyze the clinical characteristics of allergic granulomatous vasculi-tis.Methods:collecting allergic granulomatous vasculitis patients in Taihe Hospital from January 2017 to June 2020,sorting out their general information,system involvement and clinical examination results,and analyzing their clini-cal characteristics.Results:a total of 5 patients diagnosed with allergic granulomatous vasculitis were collected,all with multiple organ involvement,including the skin,re-spiratory system,circulatory system,digestive system,urinary system,and nervous system.Respiratory system involvement was mainly due to decreased lung function;60%manifested as obstructive ventilatory dysfunction.Lung biopsy showed a large amount of eosinophil infil-tration in the interstitium of the alveolar septum,and eo-sinophil and fibrin-like exudation in the alveolar cavity.The circulatory system was mainly affected by myocardi-al damage,and patient two(P2)had pericardial effusion.60%of nervous system involvement was central nervous system involvement,and 40%was peripheral nerve in-volvement.Skin system involvement accounted for 60%.Urinary system involvement was mainly manifested as hematuria and proteinuria.Digestive system involvement was mainly manifested as gastritis,gastric ulcer and other diseases.Conclusion:allergic granulomatous vasculitis is clinically rare.The clinical manifestations are atypical and often involve damage to multiple systems.Clinicians need to fully understand the characteristics of the disease and make comprehensive judgments based on the onset process and examination results to avoid misdiagnosis.

Pulmonary benign metastasizing leiomyoma: A case report and review of the literature

BACKGROUND Pulmonary benign metastatic leiomyoma(PBML),which is very rare,is a type of benign metastatic leiomyoma(BML).Here,we report a case of PBML,finally diagnosed through multidisciplinary team(MDT)discussions,and provide a literature review of the disease.CASE SUMMARY A 55-year old asymptomatic woman was found to have bilateral multiple lung nodules on a chest high-resolution computed tomography(HRCT)scan.Her medical history included total hysterectomy for uterine leiomyoma.The patient was diagnosed with PBML,on the basis of her clinical history,imaging manifestations,and computed tomography(CT)-guided percutaneous lung puncture biopsy,via MDT discussions.As the patient was asymptomatic,she received long-term monitoring without treatment.A follow-up of chest HRCT after 6 mo showed that the PBML lung nodules were stable and there was no progression.CONCLUSION For patients with a medical history of hysterectomy and uterine leiomyoma with lung nodules on chest CT,PBML should be considered during diagnosis based on the clinical history,imaging manifestations,CT-guided percutaneous lung puncture biopsy,and MDT discussions.

Giant cell interstitial pneumonia： unusual lung disorder and an update

Background Giant cell interstitial pneumonia （GIP） was a rare form of pneumoconiosis,associated with exposure to hard metals,which had been reported mostly as isolated case reports.We described eight cases of GIP diagnosed in our hospital during the past seven years,with particular reference to new findings.Methods Eight patients with GIP confirmed by biopsy in the Nanjing Drum Tower Hospital affiliated to Medical School of Nanjing University from 2005 to 2011 were retrospectively analyzed.For each patient,the occupy histories and medical records were thoroughly reviewed and clinic data were extracted.Two radiologists,without knowledge of any of the clinical and functional findings,independently reviewed the HRCT scans of all patients.Follow-up data were collected.Results Among the eight patients,seven had a history of exposure to hard metal dusts,one denied an exposure history.The most common manifestations were cough and dyspnea.One patient initiated with pneumothorax and another pleural effusion,both of which were uncommon to GIP.The main pathologic appearances were the presence of macrophages and multinucleated giant cells in the alveolar space.The clinical symptoms and radiographic abnormalities were obviously improved after cessation of exposure and receiving corticosteroid treatments,recurrences were observed in two patients when they resumed work.In spite of exposure cessation and corticosteroid treatment,one patient developed pulmonary fibrosis at seven years follow-up.Conclusions Awareness of the patients＇ occupational history often provided clues to the diagnosis of GIP.Histopathologic examinations were necessary to establish the right diagnosis.Exposure cessation was of benefit to most patients; however,pulmonary fibrosis was possible in spite of exposure cessation and corticosteroid treatment.Better ways should be found out to improve the outcome and quality of life.

Diffuse panbronchiolitis with histopathological confirmation among Chinese

Background Diffuse panbronchiolitis (DPB) was originally and is still primarily reported in Japan, rarely in other countries. As macrolide therapy is effective for this disease with once dismal prognosis, familiarity with its clinical features is urgently needed, especially for clinicians outside Japan. The objectives of this study were to investigate the clinical features of DPB in a Chinese population and propose diagnostic procedures that will lead to increased awareness of this treatable disease among clinicians, ultimately allowing for more rapid diagnosis.Methods After a literature review, the clinical features of DPB were histopathologically confirmed in a series of 9 cases either by open lung biopsy or video-assisted thoracic surgical biopsy, resulting in the largest series of confirmed DPB cases in a non-Japanese population. Here, the cases are retrospectively described and diagnostic procedures are discussed.Results Persistent cough, sputum, and exertion dyspnea occurred in 89% of patients, a history of or current chronic sinusitis in 78%, centrilobular micronodules appearing on chest CT scans in 100%, coarse crackles in 78%, FEV 1/FVC<70% in 44%, PaO 2<80 mmHg in 56%, and titer of cold hemagglutinin≥1∶64 in 11%. According to its clinical diagnostic criteria, diagnosis was definitive in 44%, suggested in 33%, and excluded in 23% at the time of diagnosis. However, DPB was clinically considered before confirmation in only 22% of patients, with the remaining 78% of cases missed or mistaken for other diseases. Of the 9 cases, 8 received transbronchial biopsies before confirmation of the diagnosis, but all showed non-specific inflammation.Conclusions Although its clinical features may vary with disease course and ethnic populations, most cases of DPB can be diagnosed or suggested according to clinical diagnostic criteria. However, underdiagnosis as a result of unfamiliarity with its clinical features and diagnostic criteria prevails. If difficulty in diagnosis arises, the diagnosis should be based on clinicopathological features and the exclusion of other diseases. Few cases can be confirmed by transbronchial biopsies; in these cases, either an open-lung biopsy or a video-assisted thoracic surgical lung biopsy should be recommended.

Chronic eosinophilic pneumonia with mucous plugs:case report

Chronic eosinophilic pneumonia （CEP）, a rare eosinophilic lung disease of unknown etiology,is characterized by peripheral blood eosinophilia, chest radiograph infiltrates, and prompt response to corticosteroid therapy. The first detailed description of CEP was described by Carrington et al in 1969. The usual symptoms are cough, dyspnea, fever, and weight loss. It is most often seen in middle aged woman and has a subacute onset. We report a case of CEP presenting with right lower lung infiltrates and mucus plugging that causing bronchus obstruction.

Diffuse panbronchiolitis complicated with thymoma: a report of 2 cases with literature review

Objective Diffuse panbronchiolitis, a distinct clinical entity of unknown etiology, has been reported originally and primarily in Japanese and rarely in non-Japanese populations. Macrolide therapy is effective for this once dismal disease. Diffuse panbronchiolitis complicated with thymoma is uncommon; only 2 cases have been reported to date. The aims of this study were to describe the clinical profiles, assess the response to macrolide therapy, and to discuss the possible pathogenesis of diffuse panbronchiolitis in this setting.Methods The clinical profiles, macrolide therapy response of diffuse panbronchiolitis complicated with encapsulated thymoma in 2 historically confirmed cases were described and discussed with the 2 cases reported in the literature: one complicated with encapsulated thymoma, another with invasive thymoma.Results Of the 2 cases, both had negative PPD skin testing and abnormal serum levels of various immunoglobulins, 1 had positive anti-nuclear antibody, but none had elevated cold hemagglutinin liters, and both had an excellent response to macrolide therapy. Of the 2 cases reported in the literature, both had negative PPD or tuberculin skin testing, 1 had severe hypogammaglobulinemia, 1 had elevated IgA, 1 had positive anti-DNA, 1 had elevated cold hemagglutinin titers, but both died of respiratory failure in spite of macrolide therapy in 1 case.Conclusions Prognosis for diffuse panbronchiolitis complicated with thymoma may depend on the nature of the thymoma and on the disease course. Macrolide therapy is also effective if administered early in the disease course and if the thymoma is cured. Immunological factors may play an important role in the pathogenesis of diffuse panbronchiolitis in this setting.