Gaoxiong yi xue ke xue za zhi = The Kaohsiung journal of medical sciences
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Gaoxiong Yi Xue Ke Xue Za Zhi · Aug 1995
Case ReportsAllergic bronchopulmonary aspergillosis: a case report.
Aspergillus-associated pulmonary diseases are aspergilloma, invasive aspergillosis, and allergic bronchopulmonary aspergillosis. Allergic bronchopulmonary aspergillosis is caused by a complex of immunologic reactions to the presence of the Aspergillus species colonizing the bronchial trees. The disease is not common in Taiwan. ⋯ He was admitted to hospitals four times in the past, and received five bronchoscopic examinations and one open lung biopsy without definite diagnosis. Sputum eosinophilia directed our attention to the differentiation of eosinophilic lung diseases. A bronchogram which revealed central brochiectasis helped us to make the diagnosis of allergic bronchopulmonary aspergillosis, despite negative sputum culture for Aspergillus fumigatus and negative serum precipitin to Aspergillus fumigatus.
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Gaoxiong Yi Xue Ke Xue Za Zhi · Aug 1995
Effects of corticosteroid inhalation therapy on lung ventilation and alveolar permeability in asthma using TC-99M DTPA radioaerosol inhalation lung scintigraphy.
This study evaluates the effects of steroid inhalation on lung ventilation (LV) and alveolar permeability (AP) in 26 patients with asthma. The homogeneity of LV was evaluated as the inhalated Tc-99m diethylene triamine pentaacetic acid (DTPA) radioaerosol depositing ratios of the central 1/3 over peripheral 1/3 of the left lung. It is shown as a distribution factor (DF) in this study. ⋯ The results revealed a significantly improved homogeneity of LV in 16/26 (62%) cases (DF: 0.79 +/- 0.32 vs 0.59 +/- 0.22, P = 0.0001), but no apparent change in AP (slope: 1.18 +/- 0.78 vs 1.25 +/- 0.88, P = 0.052) after the treatment. In conclusion, a corticosteroid inhalation therapy for asthma can improve the peripheral LV, but can not change the AP according to the findings of Tc-99m DTPA radioaerosol inhalation lung scintigraphy. We suggest that the widely available Tc-99m DTPA radioaerosol inhalation lung scintigraphy, coupled with the evaluation of LV and AP could contribute to any disorder involving both alveoli and airways.