Pseudomembranous Aspergillus Tracheobronchitis: Case Report of a Rare Manifestation of Airway Invasive Aspergillosis

Aspergillus tracheobronchitis, an uncommon form of invasive pulmonary aspergillosis, is characterized by the development of a pseudomembrane, ulcers, or an obstruction that is predominantly confined to the tracheobronchial tree. Pseudomembranous Aspergillus tracheobronchitis is the most severe form of Aspergillus tracheobronchitis, and only a few cases have been reported in Korea. We report the characteristic chest CT findings in a patient diagnosed with pseudomembranous Aspergillus tracheobronchitis after bronchoscopy and successfully treated by proper antifungal treatment.

Analysis of Positive Flow Cytometric Crossmatch in Organ Transplantation

BACKGROUND: Pretransplant HLA crossmatch is one of the most important parts in solid organ transplantation. Flow cytometic crossmatch (FCXM) is more sensitive than anti-human globulin enhanced complement dependent lymphocytotoxicity (AHG-CDC) in detecting anti-HLA antibodies. We compared the results of the two methods and analyzed the FCXM-positive cases in various aspects. METHODS: Sera from 212 patients were tested for the detection of anti-HLA antibodies by FCXM and 188 of them were also tested by AHG-CDC assay. The results were analyzed in relation to their histories of pregnancy, transfusion or organ transplantation and also according to the donor patient relationships. We compared the FCXM results obtained before and after desensitization therapy (using plasmapheresis and anti-CD20 antibody) in 5 sensitized patients. RESULTS: Concordance of the results between the two methods was 88.8% (167/188). FCXM results correlated with history of pregnancy, but not with that of transfusion. When the patients were divided into 4 groups according to donor-patient relationships, the T cell FCXM mean fluorescence intensity (MFI) ratio (sample/control) was significantly higher in the husband-to-multiparous wife group compared to the other 3 groups (children-to-mother, unrelated donor-to-multipara, and the rests). After desensitization therapy, MFI ratios of T cell FCXM decreased and those of B cell FCXM increased, probably due to rituximab effect, in all 5 patients. CONCLUSIONS: FCXM using a MFI ratio, has a higher sensitivity than AHG-CDC in detection of donor specific antibodies. Also it can be useful in monitoring antibody levels during desensitization therapy.

Plasma Exchange in a Patient with Antineutrophil Cytoplasmic Antibody-associated Vasculitis / 대한수혈학회지

Antineutrophil cytoplasmic antibody (ANCA)-associated vasculitis is a systemic autoimmune disease with a poor prognosis in untreated patients, and combination therapy with steroidsand cyclophosphamide is the current standard treatment. Treatment with immunosuppressive agents results in high remission rates; however, there is a considerable morbidity related to the immunosuppressive state, such as life-threatening infections. To reduce serious immunosuppressant-related adverse effects, potentially promising treatment options, including plasma exchange, cytapheresis, administration of intravenous immunoglobulin and TNF-alpha blocking agents have been developed. We performed plasma exchange with steroid pulse therapy for a 52 year-old female patient with pulmonary hemorrhagewith ANCA-associated crescentic glomerulonephritis. After combination therapy, the pulmonary hemorrhage and renal function recovered and myeloperoxidase (MPO)-ANCA decreased.