Chronic eosinophilic pneumonia due to radiographic contrast administration: An orphan disease?

Abstract

Pulmonary eosinophilia comprises a heterogeneous group of diseases that are defined by eosinophilia in pulmonary infltrates or in tissue. Drugs can cause almost all histopathologic patterns of interstitial pneumonias, such as cellular and fibrotic nonspecific interstitial pneumonia, pulmonary infltrates and eosinophilia, organizing pneumonia, lymphocytic interstitial pneumonia, desquamative interstitial pneumonia, a pulmonary granulomatosis-like reaction, and a usual interstitial pneumonia-like pattern. We present a very rare case of chronic eosinophilic pneumonia due to radiographic contrast infusion diagnosed with video-assisted thoracoscopy. The patient after 1 year is still under corticosteroid treatment with the disease stabilized. © 2012 Hohenforst-Schmidt et al, publisher and licensee Dove Medical Press Ltd.