Pulmonary actinomycosis is a rare infectious disease, which is characterized by a wide range of symptoms and no specific imaging findings and may be confused with neoplasia, tuberculosis or pneumonia. Endobronchial involvement of actinomycosis may be caused by aspiration of foreign bodies or broncholithiasis and may bronchoscopically masquerade as malignancy. A case of 68-year-old man is reported, who presented with productive cough and fever and had no response to antibiotic therapy with moxifloxacin. Patchy air-space consolidation on left lower lobe was demonstrated on CT and flexible bronchoscopy revealed an endobronchial white necrotized mass, causing partial occlusion of bronchus and masquerading as lung cancer. Endobronchial actinomycosis was confirmed by biopsies of lesion, which revealed radiating filamentous colonies of Actinomyces and no evidence of malignancy. The patient was successfully treated with intravenous penicillin G for two weeks, followed by doxycycline per oral for six months, achieving full resolution of lesion on follow-up CT and bronchoscopy and no recurrence of symptoms.
Pulmonary hypertension (PH) occurs as a complication of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) increasing morbidity and mortality of the primary disease. The aim of this presentation is to elucidate the diversity of pathophysiological mechanisms that underlie pulmonary hypertension through three cases that were challenging. Three patients with diagnosed RA under immunosuppressing treatment appeared with dyspnea on exertion, respiratory failure and severe functional impairment. The first patient suffered from moderate restriction due to fibrosis and was diagnosed with pulmonary hypertension during an episode of life threatening hypoxia. Early upfront combination therapy prevented intubation and reversed hypoxia to adequate levels. The second presented patient was a case of isolated pulmonary hypertension attributable to vasculopathy. The patient maintained normal lung volumes but low diffusion capacity and echocardiography dictated the need for right heart catheterization. Finally, the third patient presented severe functional limitation due to several manifestations of rheumatoid arthritis, but a past episode of acute pulmonary embolism was also reported although it had never been evaluated. Chronic thromboembolic disease was eventually proved to be one major cause of the patient's pulmonary hypertension. The condition's three major causes are: interstitial lung disease, vasculitis, and chronic thromboembolic disease, but it should be noted that the multiple pulmonary manifestations of rheumatoid arthritis, can all contribute to chronic lung disease or hypoxia. The importance of early identification of pulmonary hypertension in patients with rheumatoid arthritis is therefore emphasized, especially since multiple treatment options are available, symptoms can be treated, and right heart failure can be avoided. D i m a s ² , P a n a g i o t i s K o t s a f t i s ² , S t e p h a n i
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