[Idiopathic pulmonary hemosiderosis in adults: report of two cases and literature review].

OBJECTIVE: To describe the clinical, radiological and pathological characteristics of idiopathic pulmonary haemosiderosis (IPH) in adults and to evaluate the methods of diagnosis and treatment. METHODS: Two patients were successfully diagnosed and treated in our hospital and the literature on the subject was reviewed. RESULTS: Two adult patients (19 and 34 years old) diagnosed in our hospital had 5 and 10 years of history of hemoptysis respectively, and chest CT showed bilateral diffuse alveolar opacities over mid and lower zones. Tests of antinuclear antibodies (ANAs), rheumatoid factor (RF), antineutrophilic cytopasmic antibodies (ANCA) and Anti-glomerular basement membrane (anti-GBM) antibody were negative. Haemosiderin-laden macrophages were found in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF) whose color was yellow. Microscopic examination of the lung tissue specimens obtained by transbronchial lung biopsy (TBLB) revealed hemorrhage and numerous hemosiderin-laden macrophages in the alveoli and no vasculitis or capillaritis were seen. These findings were consistent with a diagnosis of IPH. Steroid therapy had good effects. CONCLUSION: IPH is a diagnosis of exclusion of other causes of diffuse alveolar hemorrhage (DAH). IPH adults have relatively good drug responses and relatively good prognoses.

[Idiopathic pulmonary alveolar proteinosis: report of three cases and literature review].

To describe the clinical, radiological and pathological characteristics of idiopathic pulmonary alveolar proteinosis (I-PAP) and to evaluate the methods of diagnosis and treatment. Three patients were successfully diagnosed and treated in our hospital and the literature on the subject was reviewed. Three patients, two males and one female (mean age 46 years), were diagnosed averagely in 4 months. Two severe patients presented with progressive dyspnea and type I respiratory failure, and one mild patient only with dry cough and hypoxemia. Chest X-ray radiographs all showed perihilar "butterfly" shadow and chest CT scans showed diffused ground-glass opacities (GGO), typically with "map" changes and "crazy paving" patterns. All the patients underwent bronchoscope, branchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF) had grossly opaque and/or milky appearance and its sediment was periodic acid-Schiff stain positive. Trans-bronchoscopic lung biopsy (TBLB) specimens were obtained and under light microscopy alveoli and some of the small bronchioles were filled with eosinophilic proteinaceous material with needle-like clefts. By electron microscopy numerous cellular debris and extracellular multilamellated bodies were found. Two severe patients were successfully treated with sequential whole-lung lavage and one required repeated lavages. I-PAP is rare and prone to be misdiagnosed. The radiological features may indicate the diagnosis and examinations of TBLB and BALF can make the accurate diagnosis. Whole-lung lavage is the most effective therapy by now and granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor (GM-CSF) may be beneficial in some patients.