title: [Pulmonary alveolar proteinosis noted in a patient with thymoma].
abstract: A 74-year-old woman had general fatigue and mild fever in August 2004. Her chest X-ray showed slight ground glass opacities in the upper and middle lung fields of both lungs. Though she was prescribed antibacterial drugs, the abnormal shadows on chest X-ray did not improve. The chest CT showed ground glass opacities and reticular shadows with thickened alveolar septa (crazy-paving appearance) in both lungs, and a clearly defined mass in the anterior mediastinum. She underwent thymo-thymectomy with wedge resection of the upper lobe of the left lung. Anterior mediastinum tumor was pathologically diagnosed as thymoma. Lung biopsy demonstrated alveoli filled with SP-A positive granular materials, and we diagnosed pulmonary alveolar proteinosis. About 1 month after operation, the shadows on chest CT showed improvement. We think there might be some relationship between thymoma and pulmonary alveolar proteinosis.
authors.affiliation: Department of Respiratory Internal Medicine, National Hospital Organization Ohmuta Hospital.
authors.forename: Kazuko
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Matsunaga
authors.forename: Nobuhiko
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Nagata
authors.forename: Yasuhiro
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Iwata
authors.forename: Hiroyuki
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Kumazoe
authors.forename: Masashi
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Komori
authors.forename: Mutsumi
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Shigyo
authors.forename: Kentarou
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Wakamatsu
authors.forename: Akira
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Kajiki
authors.forename: Yoshinari
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Kitahara
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D015415:Biomarkers / Q000032:analysis; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D011649:Pulmonary Alveolar Proteinosis / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000209:etiology*; D037662:Pulmonary Surfactant-Associated Protein A / Q000032:analysis; D013934:Thymectomy; D013945:Thymoma / Q000150:complications* / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000601:surgery; D013953:Thymus Neoplasms / Q000150:complications* / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000601:surgery; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed; D016896:Treatment Outcome
chemical_list: D015415:Biomarkers; D037662:Pulmonary Surfactant-Associated Protein A