Biomedical subjects
Publications and source records attributed to Deniz Dogru.
Tracheobroncopathia osteochondroplastica (TO) is a rare disease of adult males characterized by osteocartilagious submucosal nodules protruding into the airway lumen, causing variable degrees of airway obstruction. Here we describe a case of TO in a 9-year-old girl patient presenting with chronic cough, along with a brief review of this rare benign condition.
BACKGROUND: Congenital cystic adenomatoid malformation (CCAM) of the lung is a rare but potentially life-threatening pulmonary anomaly. METHODS: Seven patients operated on with the diagnosis of CCAM were reviewed to determine the clinical presentation, age at diagnosis, histopathologic types and the postoperative course. RESULTS: Cough and respiratory distress were common clinical findings in the patients in the present study. Two of the patients had congenital respiratory distress. The patient who was diagnosed at 15 years had cough, hemoptysis and anorexia for the last 4 months. One patient who received the diagnosis of CCAM prenatally was asymptomatic until she was operated on, on the 45th postnatal day. All patients but one were operated on and histopathological diagnosis was made for each of them between the ages of 4 days to 12 months. Four patients were diagnosed as having CCAM type I, and three patients had CCAM type II histopathologically. Duration of postoperative follow up was between 3 months and 15 years. Neither patient had complaints during that period. CONCLUSION: CCAM can present at different ages and in various clinical presentations. There can even be asymptomatic patients who receive their diagnosis during the prenatal period. The possibility of an underlying CCAM should be considered in infants with recurrent chest infections or persistent abnormalities on chest X-ray following an acute infection. CCAM should also be considered in cases with lung abscess, even in adolescents with no past history of pulmonary complaints.
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Diffuse panbronchiolitis (DPB) is a chronic, potentially life-threatening lower respiratory tract disease that is particularly common in Japanese people. If left untreated, it progresses to bronchiectasis, respiratory failure, and death. Lack of familiarity with DPB in the non-Far East may result in a failure to correctly diagnose and treat this disorder. We describe a child with DPB. We suggest that DPB is a sinopulmonary disease that is not exclusive to the Asian population and to adults. Its clinical and radiological features should be better known by pediatric pulmonary physicians.
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STUDY OBJECTIVES: Biochemical and inflammatory markers in pleural inflammation were evaluated in pediatric cases of parapneumonic effusions, and interleukin (IL)-8 and tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-alpha concentrations were tested for possible differentiation of the complicated nature of effusions. PATIENTS: Twenty-eight patients (12 female) who were admitted to Hacettepe University Childrens' Hospital over a 2-year period were included in the study. MEASUREMENTS: Patients were grouped according to the stage of effusion. Pleural fluid leukocyte count, neutrophil ratio, pH, protein, glucose levels, lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) levels, TNF-alpha levels, IL-8 levels, and nitrite levels were obtained. RESULTS: Of these patients, 13 had empyema, 10 had complicated parapneumonic effusions (CPEs), and 5 had uncomplicated parapneumonic effusions (UPEs). Protein and glucose levels decreased, leukocyte count, neutrophil ratio, TNF-alpha levels, nitrite levels, and IL-8 levels increased progressively as the stage of the disease progressed. IL-8 levels, but not TNF-alpha and nitrite levels, were statistically different among the groups. IL-8, TNF-alpha, and nitrite levels all correlated positively with each other (all p < or = 0.001), and pH correlated negatively with these markers (all p < or = 0.001). At a cutoff value of 76.6 pg/mL, TNF-alpha discriminated between CPEs and UPEs with a sensitivity of 50%, a specificity of 100%, and an accuracy of 78%. At a cutoff value of 701.6 pg/mL, IL-8 differentiated CPE and UPE with a sensitivity of 80%, a specificity of 80%, and an accuracy of 86%. CONCLUSIONS: Progressive changes in common biochemical markers (ie, pH, and protein, glucose, and LDH levels) are interrelated during stages of pleural inflammation. IL-8 may be used as an alternative marker for discriminating between CPEs and UPEs in pediatric parapneumonic effusions.
Chylothorax, which is usually idiopathic, is the most common form of pleural effusion encountered in neonates. Herein we report a 2-week-old infant who had spontaneous chylothorax and was treated with octreotide. Neonatal chylothorax responded well to octreotide treatment, which appeared to shorten the duration of hospitalization. We conclude that octreotide should be considered in the treatment of neonatal chylothorax.
Hypersensitivity pneumonitis (HP), an extrinsic allergic alveolitis, is a group of immunologically mediated, diffuse inflammatory lung parenchymal diseases. Pigeon breeder's disease (PBD) is one of the most common clinical forms of HP. It is caused by inhalation of various pigeon-derived materials and can present in different clinical forms. The diagnosis is difficult and the best diagnostic tool is correlation of onset of symptoms with time of exposure. Precipitating antibodies against the avian proteins form the characteristic precipitin reactions. The most effective treatment is avoidance of the antigens. Steroids, either systemic or topical (inhalational), can be used to treat HP. We report five children with different clinical forms of PBD in whom the diagnosis was confirmed by positive serum precipitating antibodies to avian proteins. Although the disease is rarely seen in children, it should be considered in any child with recurrent or unexplained respiratory symptoms. Nebulising steroids might be a useful alternative treatment for allergic alveolitis.
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Episodes of wheezing are very common in infancy. In pediatrics, indications for flexible bronchoscopy include prolonged wheezing, where airway abnormalities such as malacia disorders, tracheobronchial abnormalities, and vascular ring may be found. The study was performed to determine the diagnostic use of flexible bronchoscopy in wheezy patients who were previously administered bronchodilators and steroids for asthma and whose symptoms recurred or were not improved at all. Infants with wheezing were identified and collected over a 3-year period at the pediatric pulmonology unit. Flexible bronchoscopy was performed for diagnostic purposes in 34 (24 boys and 10 girls) patients with wheezing who were previously treated for asthma. The mean age for the onset of the symptoms was 2.5 months (0-12 months), and the mean age of bronchoscopic assessment was 9 months (45 days-48 months). A definitive diagnosis was made by bronchoscopy in 29 (85%) patients. Functional abnormalities in 15 patients (malacia in 9, tracheal dyskinesia in 3, and both in 3 patients), structural abnormalities in 5 patients (bronchial abnormality in 2, subglottic stenosis in 2, and obliterative-like lesion at the orifice of right bronchus in 1), and coexistent structural and functional abnormalities in 9 patients were present. Bronchoscopy revealed normal findings in five patients. Structural and functional airway abnormalities are commonly found in children with wheezing and should be considered in the differential diagnosis of persistent and prolonged wheezing. Bronchoscopy should be performed in patients who remain symptomatic despite treatment for asthma.