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pulmonary cysts

Friday 10 January 2014

pulmonary cyst; lung cyst

Definition: A lung cyst is an air-filled lucent structure surrounded by a thin wall. The presence of multiple intrapulmonary cysts is defined as cystic lung disease.

Images

- pulmonary cysts in pulmonary lymphangioleiomyomatosis

Although cystic lung disease is rare, incidental detection has increased significantly in recent years by screening using computed tomography.

There are many conditions that can mimic lung cysts and cause cystic lung disease.

Clinical, radiographic, and histologic findings are all necessary for a proper diagnosis, and multidisciplinary approaches are frequently required.

Open references

- Multiple cystic lung disease. Koo HK, Yoo CG. Tuberc Respir Dis (Seoul). 2013 Mar;74(3):97-103. doi : 10.4046/trd.2013.74.3.97 PMID: 23579924 [Free]

Etiology

- Birt-Hogg-Dubé syndrome

  • The BHDS-cysts are likely to develop at the periacinar region, an anatomically weak site in a primary lobule, where alveoli attach to connective tissue septa. (24393238)
  • BHDS cysts possibly expand in size as the alveolar walls disappear at the alveolo-septal junction and grow even larger when several cysts fuse. (24393238)

References

- Characterization of pulmonary cysts in Birt-Hogg-Dubé syndrome: histopathologic and morphometric analysis of 229 pulmonary cysts from 50 unrelated patients. Kumasaka T, Hayashi T, Mitani K, Kataoka H, Kikkawa M, Tobino K, Kobayashi E, Gunji Y, Kunogi M, Kurihara M, Seyama K. Histopathology. 2014 Jan 7. doi : 10.1111/his.12368 PMID: 24393238