Abstract
A case of pulmonary alveolar proteinosis with chief complaints of dry cough and exertional dyspnea was reported. The patient was a 53 year-old woman. Her chest X-ray disclosed small patchy infiltrates in the lower lung fields. The serum lactic dehydrogenase (LDH) concentration was increased to 265IU/l. This case was complicated with type IIa hyperlipidemia. Pulmonary function studies were normal except for slight depression of the arterial PO2. The histologic diagnosis was made by transbronchial lung biopsy.
Bronchopulmonary lavage was performed with the fiberoptic bronchoscope 9 times, during a period of effeminately a month. A total of 3200ml of saline solution was lavaged. Although patient's complaints were relieved, there was no marked imporvement of test data and chest X-ray findings.
During the period of lavage, the serum cholesterol concentration returned to normal and the serum LDH concentration also decreased. However, after the series of lavages, concentrations of both increased again. The scavenger pathway of cholesterol transport was thought to have some relationship to these related decreases.
