IntroductionHydrocarbon pneumonitis is an acute, intense pneumonitis resulting from aspiration of volatile hydrocarbon compounds with low viscosity and surface tension, most of which are members of the paraffin, naphthene and aromatic classes.Case presentationSix hours after participating in a party for teenagers, a 16-year-old boy developed dyspnea, cough, a fever (39°C) and chest pain. A chest radiograph showed infiltration in the right middle lobe. The patient reported alcohol abuse during the party and an episode of vomiting a few hours thereafter. He also reported practicing a fire-eating performance at the party using liquid paraffin, but was unaware of inhaling any of it. The radiographic infiltration was diagnosed as an aspiration pneumonia and he was treated at the local health center with antibiotics. Five days later, because of clinical deterioration, he was referred to a pulmonary clinic. A chest computed tomography scan was performed which showed consolidation with an air bronchogram in the right middle lobe and areas of atelectasis and ground glass opacities in the middle and lower right lobes. Spirometry revealed severe restriction of lung function. A bronchoscopy revealed inflamed, hyperemic mucosa. Bronchoalveolar lavage fluid revealed lipid-laden alveolar macrophages, which were detected by lipid staining, and neutrophilia. The patient was finally diagnosed with hydrocarbon pneumonitis and he was treated with systemic steroids and antibiotics. After 6 days of treatment there was complete clinical and significant radiologic regression.ConclusionHydrocarbon pneumonitis should be included in the differential diagnosis of pneumonias. Recent exposure to volatile hydrocarbons provides a basis for clinical diagnosis, as symptoms and radiologic findings are not specific.
Hypertrophic osteoarthropathy (HOA) is an incompletely understood syndrome characterized by digital clubbing and periosteal proliferation of long bones and it is commonly associated with primary lung tumors. Bone scintigraphy is a sensitive method in detecting HOA and characteristic findings have been reported. We present the case of a man with newly diagnosed non-small cell lung cancer, unremarkable clinical examination and blood tests and no digital clubbing. During disease staging, however, bone scintigraphy showed intense calcaneal cortical proliferation bilaterally without involvement of other parts of the skeleton. Cortical reaction of both calcanei resolved significantly after chemotherapy. This case indicates that HOA may manifest with isolated calcaneal periostitis bilaterally, which is a new addition to the literature.
Introduction: The etiology of seizure disorders in lung cancer patients is broad and includes some rather rare causes of seizures which can sometimes be overlooked by physicians. Paraneoplastic limbic encephalitis is a rather rare cause of seizures in lung cancer patients and should be considered in the differential diagnosis of seizure disorders in this population.
Adrenal metastases are frequent in patients with non-small cell lung carcinoma
(NSCLC). We present a case of a large adrenal metastasis from NSCLC and we
discuss the relevant literature. In such cases, early surgical intervention is
recommended to avoid spontaneous rupture of the tumor and improve patient
survival.
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