Discussion
Diagnosis With Brief Discussion
- Diagnosis
- Pulmonary endometriosis (catamenial hemoptysis)
- Radiologic Findings
- Chest CT images show a round-shaped ground glass opacity (GGO), and ill-defined nodules within the GGO in the left lower lobe.
- Brief Review
- Pulmonary endometriosis is uncommon, and the diagnosis is usually established on clinical grounds. The two theories entertained for the development of pulmonary endometriosis are microembolization and peritoneal-pleural migration. In the microembolization theory, it is postulated that endometrial tissue can be transported through the lymphatic or vascular channels to the lung parenchyma. Alternatively, endometrial tissue may involve the pleura by migrating from the peritoneal cavity to the pleural cavity through diaphragmatic defects. Pleural lesions are almost exclusively right-sided, whereas lung lesions have no such predilection. Regardless of pathophysiology, pulmonary endometriosis is generally associated with coexistent pelvic endometriosis and usually occurs 5 years after the diagnosis of pelvic endometriosis. Notably, however, in some cases pulmonary lesions may actually represent embolic decidua or trophoblastic tissue and are not from preexisting endometriosis.
Reported CT findings of pulmonary endometriosis include ill-defined opacities several centimeters in size, nodules, areas of consolidation or ground glass opacity surrounding the nodules, thin-walled cavities, and bullae. Interestingly, these lesions may vary in size during the menstrual cycle and may disappear after the cessation of menstruation.
Treatment for recurrent complication was more successful with surgical pleurodesis than with medical management.
- References
- 1. Joseph J, Sahn SA. Thoracic endometriosis syndrome: new observations from an analysis of 110 cases. Am J Med 1996; 100:164-170.
2. Paula J. Woodward, Roya Sohaey, and Thomas P. Mezzetti, Jr. Endometriosis: Radiologic-Pathologic Correlation. RadioGraphics 2001; 21: 193-216.
- Keywords
- Lung,