Localized Wegener's granulomatosis relapsing as diffuse massive intra-alveolar hemorrhage.
In a 75-year-old patient presenting with a solitary pulmonary mass, a localized form of Wegener's granulomatosis was diagnosed after lobectomy. In the absence of extrapulmonary manifestations and after a benign postoperative course, the patients was discharged without medical treatment. Three months later, diffuse alveolar hemorrhage developed abruptly, necessitating mechanical ventilation, and was followed by cardiac complications and a fatal outcome. This case and another previously reported strongly suggest the need for medical treatment in patients with a localized form of pulmonary Wegener's granulomatosis, even when complete remission after surgical resection of the lung lesion seems to have been achieved.
Odeh
M
M
Department of Internal Medicine B, B'nai Zion Medical Center, Haifa, Israel.
Best
L A
LA
Kerner
H
H
Bassan
H
H
Oliven
A
A
D000368:Aged; D005260:Female; D014890:Granulomatosis with Polyangiitis / Q000150:complications* / Q000601:surgery; D006470:Hemorrhage / Q000209:etiology*; D006801:Humans; D008171:Lung Diseases / Q000150:complications* / Q000601:surgery; D011013:Pneumonectomy; D012008:Recurrence