Vena cava filter fracture with migration to the pulmonary artery.

Inferior vena cava filter (IVCF) placement has been recommended by clinicians for patients with venous thromboembolism who are at high risk for pulmonary embolism. There are a number of complications with IVCF insertion, removal, and migration that have been reported in the literature. Although those resulting from structural failure are rare, they can also be among the most critical. We describe a 48-year-old woman with a history of hypercoagulability whose IVCF fractured during retrieval, resulting in partial embolization to the right middle lobe pulmonary artery.

Immune mechanisms in the pathogenesis of bronchiolitis obliterans syndrome after lung transplantation.

Lung transplantation is recognized as the only viable treatment option in a variety of end-stage pulmonary diseases. However, the long-term survival after lung transplantation is limited by the development of obliterative bronchiolitis, and its clinical correlate bronchiolitis obliterans syndrome (BOS), which is considered to represent chronic lung allograft rejection. Histopathologically, BOS is an inflammatory process that leads to fibrous scarring of the terminal and respiratory bronchioles and subsequent total occlusion of the airways. The specific etiology and pathogenesis of BOS are not well understood. The current premise is that BOS represents a common lesion in which different inflammatory insults such as ischemia-reperfusion, rejection, and infection can lead to a similar histological and clinical outcome. However, the low incidence of BOS in non-transplanted individuals and the observation that early development of BOS is predicted by the frequency and severity of acute rejection episodes indicate that alloimmune-dependent mechanisms play a crucial role in the pathogenesis of BOS. The evidence presented in this review indicates that BOS is the result of humoral and cellular immune responses developed against major histocompatibility complex molecules expressed by airway epithelial cells of the lung allograft. This process is aggravated by alloimmune-independent mechanisms such as ischemia-reperfusion and infection. Currently, treatment of BOS is frequently unsuccessful. Therefore, a better understanding of the immunopathogenesis of BOS is of paramount importance toward improving long-term patient and graft survival after lung transplantation.

Cut it out: Managing hepatic abscesses in patients with chronic granulomatous disease.

BACKGROUND: Hepatic abscesses develop in patients with chronic granulomatous disease (CGD) because the liver is a site of constant bacterial challenge. The authors investigated the roles of drainage and hepatic resection in the management of liver abscesses in CGD patients. METHODS: Medical records of CGD patients with hepatic abscesses from 1990 to 2001 were reviewed. RESULTS: There were 6 patients. Mean age of initial abscess was 7.2 years (range, 3 weeks to 18.9 years). All abscesses involved the right lobe of the liver (2 single, 4 multiple). All patients received appropriate antibiotics. Four patients were treated with one to 6 drainage procedures over one to 4 admissions before ultimately undergoing resection. The other 2 patients underwent primary resection without preliminary drainage. Of the 6 resections, 4 were nonanatomic, and 2 were anatomic. There was one major postoperative complication (bleeding) requiring reoperation. There were no recurrences after resection (mean follow-up 4.3 yr). Mean total days in hospital for the treatment of liver abscess was 49 in the preliminary drainage group and 8.5 in the primary resection group. Three patients required admission into the intensive care unit, one after a drainage procedure and 2 after resection. CONCLUSIONS: For CGD patients with hepatic abscesses, drainage procedures are associated with recurrence and prolonged hospitalization. Primary hepatic resection removing all involved tissue is safe and definitive for the management of this problem.