Caplan's syndrome.

The authors describe two cases suffering from Caplan s syndrome, i.e. a combination of pneumoconiosis and rheumatoid arthritis, in miners of deep coal mines in southern Moravia. The finding on the lungs preceded the manifestation of articular symptoms. The disease progressed even after the risk of fibrogenic dust was eliminated. In both patients occupational diseases were involved.

Caplan Syndrome↗

PubMed1994

[Biventricular inflow tract compression by chronic organized hemopericardium in Caplan syndrome].

We report the case of a 59-year old patient with the rare combination of silicosis and rheumatoid arthritis, which is called Caplan's syndrome. The patient presented with right heart failure caused by a pericardial tumor compressing the right and the left ventricle. By means of several imaging techniques it was possible to elucidate the topographic relations of the tumor. Definite signs of malignant growth were not found. Despite his elevated perioperative risk we decided to operate on the patient. During the operation macroscopic and histologic evidence revealed that the tumor was not a neoplastic process but consisted of an organized hemopericardium. This demonstrates that pericarditis in rheumatoid arthritis can be hemorrhagic and can mimick a malignant pericardial tumor. The decision to operate was first supported by the findings of the applied imaging techniques, the normal endomyocardial biopsy, and the clinical course and were later confirmed in situ.

Caplan Syndrome↗