Exogenous lipoid pneumonia resulting from lymph-angioleiomyomatosis with chylothorax: A case report

Abstract

A 32-year-old woman with lymph-angioleiomyomatosis and chylothorax was admitted to our hospital with empyema. Decortication was performed and the empyema improved gradually. However, after that she showed pneumonia-like symptoms, and a chest radiograph and CT demonstrated a reticulonodular shadow in both lung fields.

Exogenous lipoid pneumonia (ELP) was diagnosed based on microscopic analysis of her sputum, which revealed the presence of lipid-laden macrophages.

We concluded that ELP had been caused by the aspiration of chylous effusion through the minor leakage of visceral pleura. It is important to keep in mind the possibility of ELP when we perform thoracic surgery for a patient with chylothorax.