Discussion
Diagnosis With Brief Discussion
- Diagnosis
- Bronchiolitis obliterance in patient with Graft Versus Host disease after bone marrow transplantation.
- Radiologic Findings
- Chest radiograph showed no abnormal finding.
Initial CT images showed mosaic attenuation in both lung, suggesting small air way obstruction. Small amount of pneumomediastinum was also noted. The pneumomediastinum was increased in amount and mosaic attenuation in the both lung parenchyma was noted on CT after 1 month. On last follow-up CT scan, the pneumomediastinum was disappeared, but bronchiectasis was newly noted.
- Brief Review
- Pulmonary complications occur in 40%-60% of stem cell transplant recipients and considerably influence morbidity and mortality. Risk factors for the development of pulmonary complications following transplantation include pre-transplantation chemotherapy, duration of immune system dysfunction, type of transplant, and presence of GVHD.
Constrictive bronchiolitis occurs in 10% of allogenic transplant recipients. Histologic analysis reveals progressive concentric fibrosis that obstructs bronchioles. Patients present with dyspnea, nonproductive cough, and pulmonary function abnormalities; fever is unusual. As the disease progresses, airflow deteriorates and dyspnea worsens. The mortality rate is 61%, and there is no effective treatment. Conventional chest radiographs may be normal. CT findings that have been described include bronchial dilatation, air-trapping on expiratory scans, and a mosaic attenuation pattern. The low attenuation of lobules affected by constrictive bronchiolitis reflects hypoxic vasoconstriction that results from impaired ventilation.
- References
- 1. David L. Coy, Amaya Ormazabal, J. David Godwin, et al. Imaging Evaluation of Pulmonary and Abdominal Complications Following Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation. RadioGraphics 2005;25:305-317
- Keywords
- Airway, Lung, Airway disease including COPD, Bronchiolitis, bone marrow transplantation,