Persistent FDG Uptake at Apical Aneurysm in a Patient With Cardiac Sarcoidosis.

We present a case of cardiac sarcoidosis with persistent, focal fluorodeoxyglucose uptake at the left ventricular apical aneurysm concerning for ongoing active inflammatory injury, prompting aggressive immunosuppressive therapy. This case highlights the importance of understanding the various clinical entities that may resemble disease activity on fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography/computed tomography imaging. ().

Consensus document for the selection of lung transplant candidates: An update from the International Society for Heart and Lung Transplantation.

Tens of thousands of patients with advanced lung diseases may be eligible to be considered as potential candidates for lung transplant around the world each year. The timing of referral, evaluation, determination of candidacy, and listing of candidates continues to pose challenges and even ethical dilemmas. To address these challenges, the International Society for Heart and Lung Transplantation appointed an international group of members to review the literature, to consider recent advances in the management of advanced lung diseases, and to update prior consensus documents on the selection of lung transplant candidates.

Providing Outpatient Telehealth Services in the United States: Before and During Coronavirus Disease 2019.

Before coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), telehealth evaluation and management (E/M) services were not widely used in the United States and often were restricted to rural areas or locations with poor access to care. Most Medicare beneficiaries could not receive telehealth services in their homes. In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, Medicare, Medicaid, and commercial insurers relaxed restrictions on both coverage and reimbursement of telehealth services.

A phase II clinical trial of the Safety Of Simvastatin (SOS) in patients with pulmonary lymphangioleiomyomatosis and with tuberous sclerosis complex.

Inroduction: The mechanistic target of rapamycin inhibitors (mTORi) sirolimus and everolimus stabilize lung function in patients with pulmonary lymphangioleiomyomatosis (LAM) but do not induce remission. Pre-clinical studies suggest that simvastatin in combination with sirolimus induces LAM cell death. The objective of this study was to assess the safety of simvastatin with either sirolimus or everolimus in LAM patients.

A 31-Year-Old Man With Airflow Obstruction, Intrathoracic Adenopathy, and Pulmonary Nodules.

A 31-year-old white man presented for evaluation of productive cough and dyspnea on exertion of 2 months' duration. Associated symptoms included wheezing, chest tightness, and postnasal drip. He was recently treated for pneumonia with a 7-day course of levofloxacin because of an abnormal chest radiograph demonstrating bilateral infiltrates, but his symptoms failed to improve.

Lymphangioleiomyomatosis Diagnosis and Management: High-Resolution Chest Computed Tomography, Transbronchial Lung Biopsy, and Pleural Disease Management. An Official American Thoracic Society/Japanese Respiratory Society Clinical Practice Guideline.

Background: Recommendations regarding key aspects related to the diagnosis and pharmacological treatment of lymphangioleiomyomatosis (LAM) were recently published. We now provide additional recommendations regarding four specific questions related to the diagnosis of LAM and management of pneumothoraces in patients with LAM.

Methods: Systematic reviews were performed and then discussed by a multidisciplinary panel.

Noninfectious Pulmonary Complications of Liver, Heart, and Kidney Transplantation: An Update.

Despite significant advances in surgical techniques, perioperative care, and immunosuppressive therapy, solid organ transplantation still carries considerable risk of complications. Pulmonary complications, in particular, are a major cause of morbidity and mortality. Although infectious complications prevail, the lungs are also vulnerable to a variety of noninfectious complications related to the transplant surgery and adverse effects of the immunosuppressive regimen.

Lung Transplantation After 125 Days on ECMO for Severe Refractory Hypoxemia With No Prior Lung Disease.

Venovenous extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) has become a viable and increasingly utilized option for the treatment of refractory hypoxemia in severe acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS). However, options are limited for ARDS patients who fail to wean from ECMO. The high rates of infection, presence of extrapulmonary end organ damage, intensive care unit-acquired weakness, and high short-term mortality associated with ARDS are all significant hurdles that make lung transplantation a difficult prospect to consider.

Official American Thoracic Society/Japanese Respiratory Society Clinical Practice Guidelines: Lymphangioleiomyomatosis Diagnosis and Management.

Background: Lymphangioleiomyomatosis (LAM) is a rare cystic lung disease that primarily affects women. The purpose of these guidelines is to provide recommendations for the diagnosis and treatment of LAM.

Methods: Systematic reviews were performed to summarize evidence pertinent to our questions.

Birt-Hogg-Dubé Syndrome.

Birt-Hogg-Dubé syndrome (BHD) is a rare autosomal dominant disorder caused by mutations in the Folliculin gene and is characterized by the formation of fibrofolliculomas, early onset renal cancers, pulmonary cysts, and spontaneous pneumothoraces. The exact pathogenesis of tumor and lung cyst formation in BHD remains unclear. There is great phenotypic variability in the clinical features of BHD, and patients can present with any combination of skin, pulmonary, or renal findings.

Complications of Lung Transplantation: A Roentgenographic Perspective.

Lung transplantation is now an established treatment for a broad spectrum of end-stage pulmonary diseases. According to the International Society for Heart and Lung Transplantation Registry, more than 50,000 lung transplants have been performed worldwide, with nearly 11,000 lung transplant recipients alive in the United States. With the increasing application of lung transplantation, pulmonologists must be cognizant of common complications unique to the postlung transplant period and the associated radiologic findings.

Management of the Potential Organ Donor in the ICU: Society of Critical Care Medicine/American College of Chest Physicians/Association of Organ Procurement Organizations Consensus Statement.

This document was developed through the collaborative efforts of the Society of Critical Care Medicine, the American College of Chest Physicians, and the Association of Organ Procurement Organizations. Under the auspices of these societies, a multidisciplinary, multi-institutional task force was convened, incorporating expertise in critical care medicine, organ donor management, and transplantation. Members of the task force were divided into 13 subcommittees, each focused on one of the following general or organ-specific areas: death determination using neurologic criteria, donation after circulatory death determination, authorization process, general contraindications to donation, hemodynamic management, endocrine dysfunction and hormone replacement therapy, pediatric donor management, cardiac donation, lung donation, liver donation, kidney donation, small bowel donation, and pancreas donation.

Lymphatic manifestations of lymphangioleiomyomatosis.

Lymphangioleiomyomatosis (LAM) is a slowly progressive, low grade, metastasizing neoplasm, associated with cellular invasion and cystic destruction of the pulmonary parenchyma. Although the source of LAM cells that infiltrate the lung is unknown, available evidence indicates that the disease spreads primarily through lymphatic channels, often involving abdominal, axial, and retroperitoneal nodes, suggestive of an origin in the pelvis. LAM cells harbor mutations in tuberous sclerosis genes and produce lymphangiogenic growth factors, which facilitate access to and movement through the lymphatic system and likely play an important role in destructive tissue remodeling in the lung.

Lung transplantation for obstructive lung diseases.

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) represents one of the most common indications for lung transplantation, accounting for approximately one third of all procedures performed worldwide to date. Despite this extensive experience, questions remain about the appropriate timing of transplantation in the natural history of COPD, the optimal procedure to perform, and the survival benefit achieved. Less commonly encountered obstructive lung disorders for which transplantation is occasionally performed include emphysema due to α-1-antitrypsin deficiency, lymphangioleiomyomatosis, and Langerhans cell histiocytosis.