Medical Symbols: Part 5.

When a patient presents with wheezing, pulmonary embolism is not usually considered as a possible cause. However bronchoconstriction can be caused by the embolism which produces wheezing that may be so obvious to make a diagnosis of bronchial asthma. Here we present a case of sub-massive pulmonary embolism presenting predominantly with wheezing without any previous history of cardio pulmonary diseases.

Lung epithelial permeability and inhaled furosemide: added dimensions in asthmatics.

Objective: Lung clearance rates of inhaled (99m)Tc-DTPA aerosols constitute a sensitive index to evaluate the permeability changes characteristic of airway epithelial damage. It was thought that edema of the airway wall which is reported in asthma could be relieved with a diuretic like furosemide, helping to relieve the symptoms. We intended to study the effect of inhaled furosemide on lung epithelial permeability in asthmatics and smokers with the help of (99m)Tc-DTPA lung clearance test (LCT).