Wegener's Granulomatosis

The Heart in Wegener’s Granulomatosis

“…Various forms of aortitis have been described, including proximal dilatation [5, 32], marked thickening of the wall of the ascending aorta [6], coronary ostial stenosis [15]and ectasia of the descending aorta associated with retroperitoneal infiltration [47, 48]. Interestingly, Blockmans et al [49]reported a WG patient with abdominal aortitis manifesting as aortic dissection.…”

Immunologically Mediated Pleural Effusions

“…Over 50% of all patients with Wegener's granulomatosis may develop pleural effusions at some time during the course of the disease, 34 and pleural fibrosis has also been reported. 35 Thoracentesis from a single patient with concurrent parenchymal nodules shows a leukocytosis with a predominance of polymorphonuclear leukocytes.…”

Vasculitis and granulomatosis of the respiratory tract.

“…Radiographs reveal a constantly changing pattern of opacities, predominantly in the lower lung fields. [21][22][23][24][25][26] 47 The naked eye appearance of the lungs is essentially the same as Wegener's granulomatosis, but the lesions tend to be more coalescent and destructive. Vascular and bronchial obstruction lead to infarction and obstructive pneumonitis: the development of these secondary phenomena and their subsequent partial resolution accounts for the constantly changing radiological picture.…”