Background: Human pulmonary dirofilariasis is a rare zoonosis caused by the dog worm Dirofilaria spp., a parasite transmitted by mosquitos and resulting in peripheral lung nodules. The filarial nematode enters the subcutaneous tissue, travels to the right ventricle and dies causing a small pulmonary infarction that may embolize through the pulmonary vessels and may appear as a solitary nodule. These nodules are usually incidentally identified in asymptomatic patients undergoing chest imaging studies, and are generally interpreted to be malignant. Case presentation: We present the case report of a human dirofilariasis in a patient with multiple pulmonary nodules resected using video-assisted thoracic surgery (VATS). According to our literature review, this is the first case with double synchronous lung nodules reported in Italy. Conclusions: Minimally invasive resection with histologic examination may be the best approach for the diagnosis and treatment of pulmonary dirofilariasis. Polymerase Chain Reaction testing may provide a more accurate etiological diagnosis in case of an inconclusive pathology result.
CITATION STYLE
Ferrari, P. A., Grisolia, A., Reale, S., Liotta, R., Mularoni, A., & Bertani, A. (2018). A rare case of human pulmonary dirofilariasis with nodules mimicking malignancy: Approach to diagnosis and treatment. Journal of Cardiothoracic Surgery, 13(1). https://doi.org/10.1186/s13019-018-0750-5
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