Human pulmonary dirofilariasis presenting as a small nodule with a cavity.
A 73-year-old woman had a 4-year history of lung fibrosis from collagen vascular disease. She presented with a complaint of dry cough. A chest radiograph showed a 2-cm solitary pulmonary nodule with a small cavity in the right lower lobe. Preoperatively, we performed computed tomography of the chest and measured tumor markers. Video-assisted thoracotomy was performed because we could not rule out lung cancer. Pathologic analysis confirmed the presence of a granuloma with Dirofilaria immitis. In Japan, the incidence of human dirofilariasis has steadily increased and must be considered in the workup of cavitary pulmonary nodules.
Sako
T
T
Third Department of Internal Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Tottori University, Japan.
Burioka
N
N
Suyama
H
H
Kinugasa
Y
Y
Watanabe
M
M
Hirai
K
K
Shimizu
E
E
D000368:Aged; D000818:Animals; D003937:Diagnosis, Differential; D004183:Dirofilaria immitis; D004184:Dirofilariasis / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000473:pathology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008174:Lung Diseases, Parasitic / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000473:pathology; D008175:Lung Neoplasms / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000473:pathology