• Journal of Chest Surgery
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• v.37 no.12
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• pp.1032-1035
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• 2004

The specific diagnosis in diffuse interstitial lung disease may be obtained through open lung biopsy. Diffuse interstitial lung disease is often associated with lung cancer. We report one case of lung adenocarcinoma with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis in whom previous open lung biopsy had been performed. We need general concepts about sites of open lung biopsy in these patients. Therefore, we report this case and document other references.

• Tuberculosis and Respiratory Diseases
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• v.52 no.1
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• pp.62-69
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• 2002

Acute interstitial pneumonia (AIP) is a rare fulminant form of lung injury that presents acutely; usually in a previously healthy individual. It corresponds to a subset of cases of idiopathic adult respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS). Invasive pulmonary aspergillosis is a disease occuring predominantly with defects in immunity such as hematologic malignancy, influenza infection, postchemotherapy, long-term corticosteroid treatment. Invasive aspergillosis has worse prognosis and most cases are diagnosed at postmortem autopsies. We experienced a case of acute interstitial pneumonia with an invasive aspergillosis during corticosteroid treatment. Acute interstitial pneumonia with invasive aspergillosis was diagnosed by an open lung biopsy using thoracoscopy, showing fungal hyphae with sepsis and an acute angle branching invasion of the lung tissue and blood vessels. The patient was treated with IV amphotericin-B, but died due to septic shock.

• Tuberculosis and Respiratory Diseases
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• v.53 no.3
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• pp.309-318
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• 2002

Background : Usual interstitial pneumonia (UIP) is a fatal progressive fibrotic disorder of the lung with unknown etiology and characterized by a poor response to conventional immunosuppressive therapy. The histologic hallmark of UIP is parchy distribution of subpleural fibrosis and fibroblastic foci(FBF) with interposed normal appearing lung. Because FBF is a collection of actively proliferating myofibroblasts, it can be a marker of activity and prognosis of UIP. However, there were contradictory reports about the correlation between the degree of FBF and survival. Therefore we performed this study to investigate the value of FBF as prognostic marker of UIP. Methods : This was a retrospective study on the 46 patients(M:F=33:13, mean age:$59{\pm}12$ years) with UIP diagnosed by the surgical lung biopsy at the Asan Medical Center, Seoul, Korea between 1990 and 2000 and had follow-up of more than a year. All the biopsy specimens were reevaluated and diagnosed as UIP according to the ATS/ERS classification. Semiquantitative grading of FBF(absent, 0; mild 1; moderate 2; marked 3) by the experienced pathologists who did not know the clinical findings were compared to the clinical data and the follow up course. Results : Thirteen patients(28.2%) died of UIP progression during the study period. The median survival time of all the subjects was 26 months after the biopsy. At the univariate analysis, FVC, $D_Lco$, smoking history and the grade of FBF were significantly related to the survial. The survival was longer in subjects with lesser degrees of FBF, higher DLco, higher FVC and history of smoking. However the multivariate analysis with Cox regression test showed the extent of FBF was the only independent prognostic marker of UIP. Conclusion : These data suggested that the extent of FBF on the surgical lung biopsy can be used as a prognostic marker of UIP.