Santiago E. Rossi

Lipoid Pneumonia: Spectrum of Clinical and Radiologic Manifestations

OBJECTIVE Lipoid pneumonia results from accumulation of lipids in the alveoli and can be either exogenous or endogenous in cause based on the source of the lipid. Exogenous lipoid pneumonia is caused by inhalation or aspiration of animal fat or vegetable or mineral oil. Endogenous lipoid pneumonia is usually associated with bronchial obstruction. The purpose of this article is to review the pathogenesis and clinical and radiologic manifestations of exogenous and endogenous lipoid pneumonia. CONCLUSION The ability to recognize the radiologic manifestations of lipoid pneumonia is important because, in the appropriate clinical setting, these findings can be diagnostic.

High-resolution CT of drug-induced lung disease

Drug-induced pulmonary toxicity is increasing and early diagnosis is important because of the associated morbidity and mortality. Diagnosis is often difficult and is usually based on a history of drug therapy and exclusion of infection, radiation pneumonitis, and recurrence of the underlying disease. Although HRCT findings are frequently nonspecific, diagnosis can be facilitated by an understanding of the most common histopathologic and radiologic manifestations of drug-induced lung injury and knowledge of the drugs usually involved.

Mucoid Impactions: Finger-in-Glove Sign and Other CT and Radiographic Features

Mucoid impaction is a relatively common finding at chest radiography and computed tomography (CT). Both congenital and acquired abnormalities may cause mucoid impaction of the large airways that often manifests as tubular opacities known as the finger-in-glove sign. The congenital conditions in which this sign most often appears are segmental bronchial atresia and cystic fibrosis. The sign also may be observed in many acquired conditions, include inflammatory and infectious diseases (allergic bronchopulmonary aspergillosis, broncholithiasis, and foreign body aspiration), benign neoplastic processes (bronchial hamartoma, lipoma, and papillomatosis), and malignancies (bronchogenic carcinoma, carcinoid tumor, and metastases). To point to the correct diagnosis, the radiologist must be familiar with the key radiographic and CT features that enable differentiation among the various likely causes. CT is more useful than chest radiography for differentiating between mucoid impaction and other disease processes, such as arteriovenous malformation, and for directing further diagnostic evaluation. In addition, knowledge of the patients medical history, clinical symptoms and signs, and predisposing factors is important.

Bronchiolitis obliterans syndrome in lung transplant recipients: correlation of computed tomography findings with bronchiolitis obliterans syndrome stage.

The purpose of this study was to correlate the extent of computed tomographic (CT) findings with the severity of respiratory dysfunction in lung transplant recipients with bronchiolitis obliterans syndrome (BOS). Eighty-nine conventional and 61 thin-section CT scans performed in 44 transplant recipients (17 bilateral, 27 single) with BOS were reviewed for mosaic attenuation, degree of bronchial dilation, bronchial thickening, central and peripheral bronchiectasis, mucus plugging, and air trapping. Findings on conventional and thin-section CT scans were correlated with BOS stage for bilateral and single-lung transplant recipients. In bilateral-lung recipients, a significant correlation existed, although weak, between BOS stage and findings of degree of bronchial dilation (P < 0.01), bronchial wall thickening (P = 0.01), peripheral bronchiectasis (P = 0.01), and mosaic attenuation (P = 0.01) on conventional CT; and bronchial wall thickening (P = 0.01) and mosaic attenuation (P = 0.03) on thin-section CT. In single-lung recipients, BOS stage correlated only with the finding of central bronchiectasis (P = 0.02) on conventional CT scans. No correlation was found between the extent of air trapping and BOS stage in either single- or bilateral-lung transplant recipients. CT findings are relatively poor indices of airflow obstruction in lung transplant recipients with BOS, particularly in those with single-lung transplants for emphysema.

Silicone pulmonary embolism: Report of 10 cases and review of the literature

Objective: To assess patient outcome and imaging findings of patients with pulmonary embolism of fluid silicone. Methods: Medical records and imaging examinations of 10 patients with respiratory distress after illicit injection of fluid silicone were reviewed. Population consisted of 8 male (6 male-to-female transsexuals) and 2 female subjects. Results: Average age was 29 years. Most common injection sites were gluteal and trochanteric. Respiratory symptoms developed between 15 minutes and 2 days after silicone injection. Five referred fever, 6 developed adult respiratory distress syndrome, and 2 subsequently died. Alveolar hemorrhage was demonstrated on pathological examination in 6, with silicone vacuoles in the lung parenchyma in 3. Computed tomography demonstrated peripheral ground glass opacities with interlobular septal thickening in all and peripheral airspace disease in 7. Conclusions: Illicit injection of large volumes of fluid silicone for cosmetic purposes is associated with pulmonary embolism and acute alveolar hemorrhage and is associated with a significant mortality.

Imaging of small airways disease.

Small airways disease includes a spectrum of inflammatory and fibrotic pulmonary diseases centered on the small conducting airways. High-resolution computed tomography plays a key role in the detection and classification of small airways disease and, when combined with relevant clinical and pathologic findings, leads to a more accurate diagnosis. The imaging manifestations of small airways disease on high-resolution computed tomography may be direct or indirect signs of small airway involvement and include centrilobular nodules and branching nodular (tree-in-bud) opacities, or the demonstration of mosaic attenuation that is typically exaggerated on expiratory computed tomography. This article reviews the normal anatomy and histology of bronchioles and the clinical, pathologic, and imaging features of small airways diseases.

PERCUTANEOUS MANAGEMENT OF INTRAPULMONARY AIR AND FLUID COLLECTIONS

The radiologists role in the management of intrapulmonary air and fluid collections is becoming more important. Improvements in percutaneous interventional techniques now allow the radiologist to offer patients an alternative treatment option with less morbidity and mortality than surgical resection. The use of CT allows optimal catheter placement and enables safe and effective percutaneous evacuation of intrapulmonary collections. In summary, image-guided percutaneous catheter drainage should (1) be the initial procedure performed to diagnose and treat lung abscesses not responding to conservative therapy; and (2) because of its effectiveness and safety, be considered as a treatment option in the management of symptomatic patients with intrapulmonary mycetomas.

Nonsurgical Extracardiac Vascular Shunts in the Thorax: Clinical and Imaging Characteristics

Extracardiac nonsurgical vascular shunts in the thorax are a group of well-recognized heterogeneous conditions, frequently symptomatic, in which there is diversion of blood flow from one vessel to another or from a vessel to a cardiac chamber. The authors describe and classify many of these nonsurgical extracardiac shunts or fistulas according to their source and endpoint (eg, systemic-to-systemic, systemic-to-pulmonic, pulmonic-to-systemic, and pulmonic-to-pulmonic) and to whether the oxygenated blood mixes with deoxygenated systemic venous flow (left-to-right shunts), deoxygenated blood bypasses the pulmonary capillary bed (right-to-left shunts), or oxygenated blood recirculates (left-to-left shunts). Clinical manifestations and imaging appearances of these conditions are highlighted.

Managing Incidental Findings on Thoracic CT: Mediastinal and Cardiovascular Findings. A White Paper of the ACR Incidental Findings Committee

The ACR Incidental Findings Committee presents recommendations for managing incidentally detected mediastinal and cardiovascular findings found on CT. The Chest Subcommittee was composed of thoracic radiologists who developed the provided guidance. These recommendations represent a combination of current published evidence and expert opinion and were finalized by informal iterative consensus. The recommendations address the most commonly encountered mediastinal and cardiovascular incidental findings and are not intended to be a comprehensive review of all incidental findings associated with these compartments. Our goal is to improve the quality of care by providing guidance on how to manage incidentally detected thoracic findings.