Radiological and Clinical Findings in Acute and Chronic Exogenous Lipoid Pneumonia

Abstract

The imaging features of acute and chronic lipoid pneumonia overlap with consolidation and lower lobe involvement present in both groups. However, only the patients with acute lipoid pneumonia had pleural effusions and improvement on follow-up. Only the patients with chronic lipoid pneumonia had pulmonary masses.

Non-resolving Findings in a Long-term Radiographic Follow-up of an Infant with Acute Paraffin Oil Aspiration

“…[12] However, in some patients with LP, as in the present case, fat attenuation is not evident on CT images because the fat attenuation values are averaged with the surrounding inflammatory exudates so that the fat component becomes less conspicuous or obscure. [1]…”

“…[12] On the basis of the source of the lipid, it is further classified as exogenous or endogenous. The exogenous type is due to aspiration of animal fat, vegetable or mineral oil and can be acute or chronic in presentation.…”

“…[1] Most cases of exogenous LP result from aspiration of mineral oil, which is usually used for the treatment of refractory constipation. [1] In early childhood, the factors that increase the risk of aspiration, in both the acute and chronic form, are commonly associated with underlying conditions, such as disruption of the normal physiologic function of the airway and the upper gastrointestinal tract, congenital disorders of the structure and function of the foregut, and impairment of neurologic or neuromuscular control of the process of breathing and/or swallowing. Additional predisposing factors to LP in children are gastroesophageal reflux and forced ingestion of oily medication as practiced in a number of geographic areas.…”

“…Exogenous lipoid results from aspiration or inhalation of mineral, vegetable, or animal oil into the peripheral lung. [12] Children can aspirate large amounts of different oily materials, mineral oil being the most frequently encountered substance, and this happens especially when certain risk factors are present. [3456] The aspiration of fatty material elicits a pulmonary inflammatory reaction that produces non-specific clinical and radiologic findings, often similar to those of bacterial pneumonia and tuberculosis, complicating or delaying the diagnosis.…”

Lipoid pneumonia: An uncommon entity

“…[29,30] Atelectasis and pleural effusion have also been described. [22,32,34] [17,[36][37][38] Magnetic resonance imaging may reveal high signal intensity on T1-weighted imaging that is consistent with lipid content. [38][39][40][41][42] Lower lobe predominance of the radiographic Þ ndings are often described but not uniformly seen.…”