title: [A case of primary acute pulmonary cavitation in sarcoidosis complicated by multiple nodular lesions in the central nervous system].
abstract: A 20-year-old man visited our hospital complaining of headache and a dry cough. Chest X-ray and chest CT showed bilateral hilar and mediastinal lymphadenopathy, multiple cavitations with thin, smooth walls, and diffuse granular shadows. A transbronchial biopsy specimen revealed sarcoid granuloma. Primary acute pulmonary cavitation of sarcoidosis was diagnosed, since there was no evidence of infection, emphysematous change, fibrotic or cystic bronchiectatic change on chest X-ray. EEG, contrast enhancement of brain CT scans and MRI were performed because the patient complained of headache. EEG showed a high voltage paroxysmal slow wave and giant build-up, whereas brain CT showed no abnormalities. T1-weighted MRI with gadolinium enhancement showed multiple high intensity nodules in the convexity, brain stem, and spinal cord. Corticosteroid therapy (60 mg/day) was started. After 1 week of treatment, the headache ceased. After 2 weeks of treatment, both the cavities in the lung field's and the nodules in the central nervous system disappeared. Therefore, the dose of corticosteroids was gradually reduced to a maintenance dose of 5 mg/day, and no relapse was noted. We report a very rare case of primary acute pulmonary cavitation in sarcoidosis complicated by multiple nodular lesions in the central nervous system.
authors.affiliation: First Department of Internal Medicine, Nihon University School of Medicine, Tokyo, Japan.
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Nakayama
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Hashimito
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Arai
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Nakazawa
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Horie
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D002493:Central Nervous System Diseases / Q000150:complications* / Q000473:pathology; D006801:Humans; D008168:Lung / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000473:pathology; D008297:Male; D011859:Radiography; D017565:Sarcoidosis, Pulmonary / Q000150:complications* / Q000473:pathology