Severe nitrofurantoin lung disease resolving without the use of steroids.

We report a case of an elderly woman who developed a severe, chronic pulmonary reaction to nitrofurantoin therapy that she had taken continuously for three years to prevent urinary tract infections. The patient was taking no other drug known to cause lung disease but the diagnosis was delayed by failure to recognize the association between nitrofurantoin and adverse drug reactions affecting the lung. When originally seen, the patient was unable to care for herself due to dyspnea. Bronchoscopy with biopsy ruled out other causes of her pulmonary disease. Immediate withdrawal of nitrofurantoin led to substantial, sustained improvement and disappearance of symptoms over several months without administration of corticosteroids. Nitrofurantoin toxicity should always be considered in any person taking that drug who develops bilateral infiltrates.

Nonfunctioning adrenocortical carcinoma.

The rarity of adrenocortical carcinoma prompted us to report a case who came with a history of swelling in the left flank associated with pain, weakness and loss of appetite. Ultrasonography revealed a left retroperitoneal mass which was removed by radical surgery along with the left kidney and spleen. On histopathological examination, a diagnosis of adrenocortical carcinoma was made. (Hough criteria score 2.97). The cells of the tumor were arranged in closely packed columns and cords supported by fibrovascular stroma. There was no evidence of metastasis.