대한흉부영상의학회 Weekly Chest Cases

Courtesy of Eun-Young Kang, M.D. / Korea University Guro Hospital, Seoul, Korea
Age/Sex 21 / F
Chief ComplaintIntermittent hemoptysis for several months. History of abortion (D & C) one year ago.

Diagnosis: Pulmonary Endometriosis
Radiologic Findings: Chest radiograph shows faint opacity in focal area of LLL. CT scan shows focal ground-glass attenuation in LLL. On follow-up HRCT scan after 1 month, focal ground-glass attenuation is noted in same area.
Brief Review: Chest involvement in endometriosis is rare. There are two distinct forms of chest endometriosis: pleurodiaphragmatic and bronchopulmonary.
Bronchopulmonary endometriosis usually has a history of pregnancy or OB&GY surgery. Bronchopulmonary endometriosis is a rare cause of hemoptysis and catamenial haemoptysis is assumed to be secondary to the presence of endometrial tissue in the lung. Transdiaphragmatic peritoneal migration of endometrial cells or metastatic spread through the vascular system may explain their presence in the lung. It is speculated that following the second dilatation and curettage embolic spread of endometrial cells occurred with subsequent implantation in the lung.
Radiologic study shows single or multiple nodules, thin-walled cavitary lesions, consolidations.
References: 1. Burdon J, Daffy J. Catamenial haemoptysis as a result of endometrial embolism. Intern Med J. 2001;31:258-259.
2. Armstrong P, Wilson AG, Dee P, Hansell DM. Imaging of diseases of the chest. 3rd ed. Mosby, London, 2000, 766-777.
Keywords: Lung, Non-infectious inflammation,

대한흉부영상의학회 Korean Society of Thoracic Radiology