ABSTRACT
Non-resolving pneumonia is a common clinical problem that prolongs morbidity and increases hospitalization costs. We report an 82 year-old non-smoking female who was admitted with chronic diarrhea and later developed nosocomial pneumonia. Lung infiltrates did not resolve despite sequential antibiotic treatments. Infectious causes such as resistant nosocomial pathogens, respiratory viruses, tuberculosis, Legionellosis, cytomegalovirus or agents associated with HIV infection were discarded. Non-infectious causes such as thromboembolic lung disease, neoplasms and rheumatic disorders were also ruled out. An exudative pleural effusion was detected, but the study was unremarkable. Fiberoptic bronchoscopy and a transbronchial biopsy, revealed nonspecific findings. The patient persisted febrile, required non-invasive mechanical ventilation and displayed a migratory pattern of lung infiltrates that motivated a second biopsy, this time by open thoracotomy, showing a cryptogenic organizing pneumonia. The patient's conditions improved after treatment with adrenal steroids. In patients with non-resolving pneumonia, a dedicated and comprehensive study should be done using invasive procedures and considering both infectious and non-infectious causes. Cryptogenic organizing pneumonia is one of the alternatives that is potentially treatable, but often underdiagnosed.
Subject(s)
Aged, 80 and over , Female , Humans , Cryptogenic Organizing Pneumonia/diagnosis , Diagnosis, DifferentialABSTRACT
We report a 78 year old male with prostatism, that was subjected to a prostate biopsy. The pathological study showed a microvascular lymphocytic infiltration. Four months later, the patients presentd with reduced alertness, cough, dyspnea, fever and elevation of lactic dehydrogenase and erythrocyte sedimentation rate. Chest and abdominal CAT scans, bone marrow aspirate, protein electrophoresis and prostate specific antigen were normal. A re-evaluation of prostate biopsy showed an intravascular lymphoid infiltration, positive for CD45 and CD20, compatible with the diagnosis of intravascular lymphoma. Chemotherapy was started, but it was not tolerated by the patient and the response was partial. Therefore, treatment with monoclonal antibodies anti CD20 (Rituximab) was started. The tumor had a complete and prolonged (24 months) remission after the treatment.
Subject(s)
Humans , Male , Aged , Antibodies, Monoclonal/therapeutic use , /therapeutic use , Antineoplastic Agents/therapeutic use , Lymphoma, Non-Hodgkin/pathology , Vascular Neoplasms/pathology , Biopsy , Endoscopy, Gastrointestinal , Hospitalization , Lymphocytes, Tumor-Infiltrating/pathology , Lymphoma, B-Cell/drug therapy , Lymphoma, B-Cell/pathology , Lymphoma, Non-Hodgkin/drug therapy , Vascular Neoplasms/drug therapyABSTRACT
Se presentan los resultados de biopsias de mama guiadas con ultrasonido utilizando el sistema percutáneo Mammotome en 50 pacientes con 55 lesiones. Los hallazgos histológicos correspondieron a fibroadenoma en el 65,4 por ciento, cambios fibroquísticos en el 20 por ciento, y papiloma en el 3,7 por ciento. En cinco pacientes se encontró una lesión maligna. El seguimiento con ecografía a los 6 meses se ha hecho hasta ahora en 14 pacientes sin cambio con respecto al diagnóstico histológico. Complicaciones no hubo, excepto un hematoma en paciente con daño hepático grave, que no fue necesario drenar. Las principales indicaciones para este tipo de biopsia son nódulos sólidos cuya etiología se requiera precisar, microcalcificaciones sospechosas visibles en ecografía, adenopatía axilar y sospecha ecográfica de recidiva local