Pathological interpretation of organizing pneumonia / 中国综合临床

ABSTRACT

Organizing pneumonia (OP), as a special response of the lung to the tissue damage, is pathologically defined as the presence of granulation tissue in the distal airways (bronchioles, alveolar ducts, and alveoli). The organic nodule is composed of fibroblasts and mucopolysaccharide-rich matrix.The boundary is clear and smooth.They extend in the airway like polypoid plugs with a smooth border.They are easy to be recognized under the microscope, so the pathological diagnosis of OP is not difficult.The difficulty is to explore the hidden causes.In this process, the first step is to distinguish cryptogenic organizing pneumonia (COP) from secondary OP.The diagnosis of COP must be based on strict criteria and sufficient multidisciplinary discussion.The investigation of the cause of secondary OP is a very challenging task.Pathologists need to carefully observe the characteristics of various pathological changes associated with OP, then analyze all of the features logistically.On this basis, discuss with the clinician and finally, find out the cause that can make a reasonable explanation for the morphological changes.