Discussion
Diagnosis With Brief Discussion
- Diagnosis
- Non-specific Interstitial Pneumonia (NSIP) assiciasted with Scleroderma
- Radiologic Findings
- Initial chest radiograph(a) shows poorly defined ground glass opacities(GGO) involving posterior portion of both basal lung zones, not definite. HRCT images(b,c) demonstrate subpleural and basal dominant area of GGO with probable inner fine reticular opacities in both lungs. Follow up chest radiograph(d) shows no interval change in both basal lung zones. Follow up HRCT images after 5 months(e,f) demonstrate slightly increased extent of GGO and more prominent reticular densities in posterior portion of both basal lung zones and mild dilatation of distal esophagus.
Pathologic finding Fig3a: Fibrous thickening of alveolar septum and hyperplasia of alveolar type II pneumocytes(g) (H & E, x100). Fig3b: Small arteries showing medial thickening and medial fibrosis, resulting to nearly obstruction of the vascular lumen(h) (H & E, x400).
- Brief Review
- Scleroderma is a systemic collagen vascular disease of unknown cause characterized by vascular and connective tissue abnormalities. It has a female predominance of approximately 3:1.
The most common pulmonary manifestations are interstitial fibrosis, which occurs in approximately 80% of patients, and pulmonary hypertesion, which occurs in 50%. At autopsy, the lung are reportedly involved in 100% of cases of scleroderma and that is a major cause of death. HRCT findings of scleroderma are similar to those of IPF including ground-glass opacities, septal lines, traction bronchiectasis and honeycombing. Enlargement of cardiac silhouette and pulmonary artery due to scleroderma induced pulmonary vascular disease also could be seen. The only differences of HRCT findings between scleroderma with interstitial fibrosis and IPF tended to have a fine reticular pattern and lesser upper lung zone involvement for same extent of disease.
Observation of esophageal dilatation may help in narrowing the differential diagnosis in patients who have diffuse interstitial lung disease.
- References
- 1. Arroliga AC, Podell DN, Matthay RA. Pulmonary manifestation of scleroderma. J Thoracic Imaging, 1992, 7(2):30-45.
2. Wechsler RJ, Steiner RM, Spirn PW, et al. The relationship of thoracic lymphadenopathy to pulmonary interstitial disease in diffuse and limited systemic sclerosis: CT findings. AJR, 1996, 167(1):101-4.
3. Bhalla M, Silver, RM, Shepard, JA, McLoud TC, Chest CT in patients with scleroderma: prevalence of asymptomatic esophageal dilatation and mediastinal lymphadenopathy. AJR, 1993, 161(2):269-72.
4. Webb WR, Muller NL, Naidich DP. High-resolution CT of the lung, third edition. Philadelphia: Lippincott Raven Publisher 2001:214-218
- Keywords
- Lung, Interstitial lung disease, NSIP, Connective tissue diseases, ILD,