A 59-year-old liver-transplanted woman with fever, dyspnea and pulmonary infiltrates

Abstract

A 59-year-old woman was admitted to hospital 10 months after receiving a liver transplant (LT) for hepatitis C virus (HCV) cirrhosis because of fever, dyspnea and basal patchy peripheral infiltrates. Microscopic examinations and blood, sputum and BAL cultures were negative. Empirical anti-infective therapy was ineffective. Thoracoscopic lung biopsy was performed, and histology showed a pattern suggesting bronchiolitis obliterans organizing pneumonia (BOOP). Prednisone led to rapid clinical and radiologic improvement. BOOP has been anecdotally reported in LT cases, and this case was unrelated to any infectious agent. BOOP should be taken into account in the differential diagnosis of pneumonia in LT.