Pneumologie
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Respiratory bronchiolitis-associated interstitial lung disease (RB-ILD) designates interstitial lung changes in smokers, characterized histologically by bronchiolocentric accumulation of pigmented alveolar macrophages and fibrotic or cellular inflammatory changes of pulmonary interstitium. The definition is nearly identical to that of condensate pneumopathy, smoker's pneumopathy or smoker's lung, defined by accumulation of pigmented alveolar macrophages with bland alveoloseptal or peribronchial fibrosis and cellular inflammation of the bronchial wall. In addition to respiratory bronchiolitis, which is found in nearly all smokers, RB-ILD comprises a broad spectrum of varying degrees of the interstitial reaction to the exogenous injury of inhalation smoking with gradual transition to desquamative interstitial pneumonia (DIP). ⋯ RB-ILD seems to be more frequent than it is assumed at present. The clinical picture is masked in most cases by the concomitant smoking induced chronic bronchitis. Thus only pronounced cases with structural changes and resulting differential diagnostic problems are diagnosed.
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Necrotizing sarcoid granulomatosis (NSG) was initially defined as a granulomatosis with features in between sarcoidosis and Wegener's granulomatosis (WG), but without extrapulmonary involvement. Subsequent reports have shown that extrapulmonary involvement does exist, and some have suggested NSG as a variant of sarcoidosis. ⋯ Nodular aggregates of granulomas in NSG were similar to those seen in nodular sarcoidosis. Granulocytic vasculitis, a hallmark of WG was not seen in any of the NSG cases. Granulomatous vasculitis was a common feature in cases of NSG, and did not differ from that seen in sarcoidosis. The only unique feature of NSG is infarct-like necrosis, induced by the vasculitis, which might also be interpreted as a function of the duration of the vasculitis, leading ultimately to vascular obstruction. NSG based on our morphologic findings is best classified as a variant of nodular sarcoidosis. In contrast to our findings in sarcoidosis mycobacterial DNA was not found in any of the 10 cases.