1997 Volume 36 Issue 2 Pages 174-178
A rare case of pulmonary dirofilariasis occurring in a 63 year old man is presented. The patient was asymptomatic and a solitary pulmonary nodule was identified in the right upper field by chest roentgenography. Under the suspicion of lung carcinoma, he underwent a partial thoracotomy. The resected lung included a yellowish mass, measuring 3.2×2.0×1.0 cm, with central necrosis, in which a worm existed.
Cytological examinations of the fresh cut surface of the nodule revealed that a few lymphocytes and eosinophils were scattered among the cell debris.
Histological examinations exhibited granulomatous inflammation and worms were observed within the lumina of pulmonary arteries.
The diagnosis of pulmonary dirofilariasis was also confirmed by immunological examinations.
