New and unconventional treatments for obstructive sleep apnea.

Although continuous positive airway pressure, oral appliances and surgical modifications of the airway are considered as part of the routine management of patients with obstructive sleep apnea, many new and unconventional therapies exist. Many of the trials using these new alternatives have been limited by insufficient data, poor trial design, small sample size, unclear inclusion criteria, lack of randomization, and lack of blinding, and on occasion are biased by retrospective design. Bariatric surgery, positional therapy, auto-titrating positive airway pressure, serotonin agents, wake promoting agents, genioglossus stimulation surgery, supplemental oxygen, nasal dilators, nasal expiratory resistor devices and oropharyngeal exercises will be reviewed. As obstructive sleep apnea impacts the individual and society at large, further research is needed to explore new therapeutic treatment options for obstructive sleep apnea. Therapeutic trials for obstructive sleep apnea must be of rigorous design to prove clinical effectiveness while taking into account both patient satisfaction and cost effectiveness.

An 18-year-old woman with Kabuki syndrome, immunoglobulin deficiency and granulomatous lymphocytic interstitial lung disease.

Granulomatous lymphocytic interstitial lung disease, or GLILD, is an uncommon condition associated with common variable immunodeficiency (CVID). We present an interesting case of an 18-year-old woman with Kabuki syndrome and CVID who was seen in our clinic for an abnormal chest CT scan. She was subsequently diagnosed with GLILD. There are no established guidelines for the treatment of GLILD in CVID. Immune globulin replacement therapy is the main treatment for CVID and higher doses of intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIG) may prevent the progression of chronic lung disease. Patients with CVID and GLILD are at increased risk for malignancy and their prognosis is worse compared to patients with CVID without GLILD.

"A dropped call".

We present an interesting case of tracheobronchial foreign body aspiration. A 29-year-old healthy female, with no history of pulmonary disease, presented on multiple occasions to healthcare providers with wheezing and cough. She was repeatedly diagnosed and treated for asthma with acute exacerbations. Upon further evaluation, the patient was subsequently found to have a tracheobronchial foreign body causing her symptoms. This case report highlights a clinical approach to wheezing illnesses and reviews the diagnosis and management of tracheobronchial foreign body aspiration.

A 64-year-old woman with a left upper-lung field lobulated mass.

Pulmonary mucinous cystic neoplasia (PMCN) is an uncommon primary lung malignancy. Approximately 80 cases have been reported in the literature. We describe a case and review the literature on this malignancy. Our patient was asymptomatic and presented with a left upper-lung field lobulated mass. Primary PMCN is a spectrum of mucinous cystic lesions that should be considered as a separate lung tumor entity due to its unique morphologic features and its distinct clinical behavior. Prognosis is generally better than other more common lung malignancies.