1/3. Just another hemoptysis or a fluke?Hemopytsis is commonly encountered in the daily practice of the pulmonary physician. Younger patients with normal chest x-rays frequently have acute or chronic bronchial disease accounting for their complaint. Occasionally parasitic disease is described as an unusual cause for a patient presenting with hemoptysis. Although pulmonary paragonimiasis is unusual in this country, because of the rapid growth in travel as well as immigration, physicians will need to be aware of this disorder.- - - - - - - - - - ranking = 1keywords = physician (Clic here for more details about this article) |
2/3. A nodular pulmonary lesion due to Linguatula serrata in an hiv-positive man.A coin-shaped pulmonary lesion was accidentally detected in a 42-year-old, hiv-seropositive man residing in Bari (Apulia, Southern italy) during a routine X-ray examination. A lung cancer was suspected, obliging physicians to investigate surgically. After thoracotomy a lung nodule, 1.8 cm in diameter, was excised and submitted for histological examination. Histological analysis revealed a nodular infarctual lesion containing a larva of pentastomida. Despite the poor state of preservation of the parasite it was possible to recognise some morphological characteristics which enabled the parasite to be identified as Linguatula serrata (pentastomida, Porocephalida). This is the first case reported in europe in the lung in a living man due to this parasite, the few others occurring in autopsy reports. No evident correlations were found in the present case between hiv-seropositivity and the development of the parasitosis. The importance of lung nodules caused by metazoan invertebrates is emphasised: even though they are rare in man, they are regularly mistaken for cancer at X-ray examination.- - - - - - - - - - ranking = 0.5keywords = physician (Clic here for more details about this article) |
3/3. Pulmonary paragonimiasis in Laotian refugee children.Three Laotian refugee children with chronic pulmonary complaints and findings were found to have pulmonary paragonimiasis during a one-year period in chicago. These patients ranged from 8 to 11 years of age and the diagnosis was delayed five to six months in two children because of the unfamiliarity of American physicians with signs and symptoms of this disorder. Clinical manifestations included chronic cough for up to two years, apparent hemoptysis in two patients, lack of fever or sweats, and family history negative for tuberculosis. Physical findings included rales and dullness to percussion, clubbing (one patient), and lack of fever or respiratory distress. All three patients showed interstitial infiltrates on chest roentgenogram whereas two had multiple small cystic areas. Moderate eosinophilia was present. paragonimus westermani ova were found in stools of two patients, in sputum of two patients, and in bronchoscopic specimens in one patient. All patients demonstrated striking clinical and radiologic improvement following treatment with bithionol (50 mg/kg every other day for 15 doses), which was well tolerated. lung fluke infestation must be considered in Indochinese refugee children with apparent hemoptysis or chronic pulmonary symptoms, and sputum and stool should be examined for P westermani ova.- - - - - - - - - - ranking = 0.5keywords = physician (Clic here for more details about this article) |