A pediatric case of relapsed pulmonary alveolar proteinosis despite successful whole lung lavage.

A pediatric case of relapsed pulmonary alveolar proteinosis despite successful whole lung lavage. Korean J Pediatr. 2017 Jul;60(7):232-236 Authors: Jin SY, Yun HR, Choi YJ, Park JD, Kim JT, Kang CH, Park YS, Choi YH, Kim WS, Suh DI Abstract Pulmonary alveolar proteinosis (PAP) is a rare disease in children characterized by intra-alveolar accumulation of surfactant proteins, which severely reduces gaseous exchange. Whole lung lavage (WLL) is the preferred technique for the treatment of severe PAP. Herein, we present a pediatric case of PAP treated with WLL. An 11-year-old boy was admitted with the chief complaint of a dry cough lasting 6 months. He developed symptoms of dyspnea on exertion and had difficulty in climbing stairs. He was ultimately diagnosed with PAP through video-assisted thoracoscopic lung biopsy. As first-line of treatment for PAP, he underwent therapeutic WLL for each of his lungs on separate days. After a brief recovery, his symptoms gradually worsened; therefore, he underwent a second WLL. This is the first pediatric case of PAP relapse despite successful WLL in Korea. PMID: 28861115 [PubMed]
Source: Korean Journal of Pediatrics - Category: Pediatrics Tags: Korean J Pediatr Source Type: research