CRYPTOGENIC ORGANIZING PNEUMONIA: A DIAGNOSTIC DILEMMA IN A WORLD DOMINATED BY COVID-19 PNEUMONIA

ABSTRACT

SESSION TITLE Pulmonary Involvement in Critical Care Case Posters SESSION TYPE Case Report Posters PRESENTED ON 10/17/2022 1215 pm - 0115 pm INTRODUCTION: Cryptogenic organizing pneumonia (COP), also known as bronchiolitis obliterans organizing pneumonia (BOOP), is one of the idiopathic interstitial lung diseases that affects the alveolar epithelium and surrounding interstitium. Its diagnosis is usually delayed due to similar clinical presentation as other illnesses (e.g. pneumonia) [1]. CASE PRESENTATION A 65-year-old male presented with rapidly progressive respiratory failure. Computed tomography (CT) of chest showed multifocal ground glass opacities. He had suboptimal response to antibiotics and had to be intubated on day 9 due to worsening respiratory failure. Bronchoscopy with bronchoalveolar lavage was performed, cytology of which revealed severe acute inflammation and mononuclear infiltration. Decision was made to perform open lung biopsy which showed polypoid plugs of organizing fibroblasts and myofibroblasts in the distal airways and alveoli with focal hyaline membrane and alveolar damage, consistent with acute onset fulminant COP. As expected, the patient responded fairly well to high-dose corticosteroids and was extubated on day 9 of intubation. DISCUSSION: Even though it is very rare, COP should be kept in differentials especially when initial interventions fail (as in our patient). There is no single laboratory study or intervention to diagnose this condition. Hence it is imperative to rule out other causes of similar presentation like pneumonia (using cultures, urine antigen testing, and viral polymerase chain reaction tests). The clinical picture is combined with supportive evidence like elevated erythrocyte sedimentation rate, leukocytosis, imaging findings, and bronchoscopic and histopathology evaluation [2]. Once diagnosed, it is important to rule out any associated CTD, for it can change management and prevent additional complications. The majority of patients with COP exhibit rapid response to glucocorticoid treatment. For fulminant disease, intravenous glucocorticoids (e.g. methylprednisolone 125-250 mg every six hours) should be initiated based on the clinical experience and case reports [3]. CONCLUSIONS: Diagnoses of interstitial lung diseases should be pursued in a systemic fashion from more common to less common. However, anchoring to common diagnoses should be avoided to negate delay in diagnoses and allow timely management. If initial workup is unrevealing, bronchoscopy and open lung biopsies should be performed while the patient is stable enough to undergo the interventions to avoid antibiotic resistance, morbidity and mortality associated with rapidly progressive noninfectious illnesses like fulminant COP. Reference #1 Drakopanagiotakis F, Polychronopoulos V, Judson MA. Organizing pneumonia. The American journal of the medical sciences. 2008 Jan 1;335(1)34-9. Reference #2 Cordier JF. Cryptogenic organising pneumonia. European Respiratory Journal. 2006 Aug 1;28(2)422-46. Reference #3 Nizami IY, Kissner DG, Visscher DW, Dubaybo BA. Idiopathic bronchiolitis obliterans with organizing pneumonia an acute and life-threatening syndrome. Chest. 1995 Jul 1;108(1)271-7 DISCLOSURES No relevant relationships by Fareeha Abid No relevant relationships by Vipin Garg No relevant relationships by Qirat Jawed No relevant relationships by Asnia Latif No relevant relationships by Ahmed Mowafy No relevant relationships by Muniba Naqi No relevant relationships by Muhammad Atif Masood Noori No relevant relationships by Hasham Saeed