Discussion
Diagnosis With Brief Discussion
- Diagnosis
- Amiodarone-induced pulmonary toxicity
- Radiologic Findings
- Follow-up chest radiograph shows multifocal patchy areas of consolidation with reticulation in both lungs.
HRCT scans show multifocal areas of consolidation, ground-glass attenuation, and irregular linear opacities in both lungs. Mild bronchial dilatation is noted within the consolidation.
CT scans with mediastinal window setting show mild pleural thickening and parenchymal lesions of relatively high attenuation.
- Brief Review
- Amiodarone hydrochloride (Cordane) is an effective antiarrhythmic drug that can cause fatal pneumonitis.
The drug usually accumulates in the liver and in the lung, where its half-life is extremely long (25-60 days).
The reported prevalence of pulmonary toxicity in the patients receiving amiodarone ranges from 1.4% to 18%.
Mortality due to pulmonary toxicity is as high as 20-30%.
Clinical indications of amiodarone toxicity range from acute onset of pleuritic chest pain and shortness of breath to more indolent symptoms of malaise, fever, cough and dyspnea.
Conventional radiographic findings are area of consolidation, infiltration, or interstitial disease, findings that are entirely nonspecific and easily confused with pulmonary abnormalities caused by congestive heart failure, pneumonia and pulmonary infarction.
Ga-67 imaging has been used to detect amiodarone toxicity, but although very sensitive to inflammation, Ga-67 imaging is not disease or drug specific.
CT findings indicative of significant amiodarone exposure included high-attenuation parenchymal-pleural lesion, and increased liver and/or spleen attenuation.
CT findings of high attenuation parenchymal pleural abnormalities are thought to be related to the iodinated chemistry of the drug and its prolonged half-life within the lung.
- References
- 1. Nicholson AA, Hayard C. The value of computed tomography in the diagnosis of amiodarone-induced pulmonary toxicity. Clin Radiol 1989;40:564-567
2. Padley SPG, Adler B, Hansell DM. High resolution computed tomography pf drug-induced lung disease. Clin Radiol 1992;46:232-236
3. Kuhlman JE. The role of chest computed tomography in the diagnosis of drug related reactions. J Thorac Imag 1991;6:52-61
4. Ren H, Kuhlman JE, Hruban RH, Kishman EK, Wheeler PS, Hutchins GM. CT-pathologic correlation of amiodarone lung. JCAT 1990;4:760-765
5. Marchlinski FE, Gansler TS, Waxman HL, Josepson ME. Amiodarone pulmonary toxicity. Ann Intern Med 1982;97:839-845
6. Moinuddine M, Rockett J. Gallium scintigraphy in the detection of amiodarone lung toxicity. AJR 1986;147:607-609
7. Kennedy JI, Meyers JL, Plumb VJ, Fulmer DJD. Amiodarone pulmonary toxicity: Clinical radiologic and pathologic correlation. Arch Intern Med 1987;147:449-471
8. Kuhlman JE, Teigen C, Ren H, Hruban RH, Hutchins GM, Fishman EK. Amiodarone pulmonary toxicity: CT findings in symptomatic patients. Radiology 1990;177:121-125
- Keywords
- Lung, Interstitial lung disease, Drug complication, ILD,