Intrapulmonary teratoma: a report of three cases.

Three cases of intrapulmonary teratoma are described. A specific symptom of trichoptysis occurred in two patients. The other presented with only recurrent hemoptysis. All were treated by lobectomy of the affected lung. Pathologic examination in each specimen showed that the tumor had a cystic portion which was connected to the bronchial system and contained sebaceous material and pieces of hair. The solid portion consisted of tissues representing all three germ cell layers. The pathologic findings correlated well with the clinical symptoms and radiologic findings in the patients.

Mucinous cystadenocarcinoma of the lung.

One case of primary mucinous cystadenocarcinoma of the lung is recorded. The patient was a 67-year-old male with a peripheral mass of the right lung, treated by pneumonectomy. The tumor was made up of fibrous-walled cyst containing abundant mucinous material. Microscopically, it revealed the same morphology as its counterparts arising in other common sites: ovary, appendix and pancreas. The transitional change of the cystic lining from benign features resembling reactive respiratory epithelium to frank malignancy indicated that the tumor had the origin from the lung. This is a very rare intrapulmonary neoplasm that should be differentiated from metastatic lesion and mucinous bronchioloalvolar carcinoma due to different clinical courses and prognoses.

Video thoracoscopic lung biopsy in diffuse interstitial lung diseases.

The present study examined the use of video thoracoscopic lung biopsy (VTLB) in diffuse interstitial lung disease, in comparison with open lung biopsy (OLB). Twenty and fifteen patients underwent VTLB and OLB, respectively, from 1987 to 1997 at the Central Chest Hospital, Thailand. Data in mean (SD). The mean age was 39 years in both groups. VTLB yielded equivalent size of lung tissues, 4.7 (2.32) cm3, and was as diagnostically useful as OLB. Estimated blood loss, 60 (37) mls, and length of pleural drainage, 2.8 (0.5) days, were comparable in either technique. As OLB had been in practice for decades, it took shorter operative time, 64 (11) mins, than VTLB, 105 (30) mins, (p = 0.005). Both VTLB and OLB approaches were safe and not associated with major postoperative complications.