Congenital pulmonary lymphangiectasis. Report of two cases

Pulmonary Lymphangiectasis in an Asymptomatic Adult

Pulmonary lymphangiectasis is a rare anomaly in infancy that is characterized by dilatation of pulmonary lymphatic vessels resulting in fetal respiratory distress. Pulmonary lymphangiectasis is considered to occur exclusively in young children and neonates, and very few survive beyond an early age. We herein present an asymptomatic adult case of localized pulmonary lymphangiectasis with multiple nodules. A 27-year-old asymptomatic female presented with multiple nodules on chest computed tomogram images. An exploratory video-assisted thoracoscopy revealed multiple yellowish cysts on the visceral pleura, which were histologically diagnosed as lymphangiectasis. In the present study, the pathogenesis and clinical characteristics are discussed.

Bronchopulmonary dysplasia in premature infants. A radiological and pathological correlation

In a group of 70 premature and newborn infants, treated with artificial ventilation, 24.3% developed bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD). Only in a very few cases did the typical radiological stages, as described by Northway, succeed each other in a chronological order. It is impossible to differentiate BPD stage I or II from RDS stage III and IV without a knowledge of the clinical course and of the duration of artificial ventilation. The lower the gestational age, the more severe and earlier do the radiological and histological changes occur. The radiological differential diagnosis of BPD includes Wilson-Mikity-syndrome, congenital pulmonary lymphangiectasia, neonatal tuberculosis, cystic fibrosis and Hamman-Rich-syndrome.