A Case of Pulmonary Gangrene Associated with Obstructive Pneumonia Due to Non-small Cell Lung Carcinoma.

Kim, Sung Jun; Um, Tae Chan; Moon, Kwie Ae; Kim, Phil Ho; Kim, Sang Hyun; Jeoung, Byung Oh; Lee, Hyuk Pyo; Kim, Joo In; Yum, Ho kee; Choi, Soo Jeon

doi:1999.46.4.591

Tuberc Respir Dis > Volume 46(4); 1999 > Article

Case Report

Tuberculosis and Respiratory Diseases 1999;46(4):591-595.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.4046/trd.1999.46.4.591 Published online April 1, 1999.

A Case of Pulmonary Gangrene Associated with Obstructive Pneumonia Due to Non-small Cell Lung Carcinoma.

Sung Jun Kim, Tae Chan Um, Kwie Ae Moon, Phil Ho Kim, Sang Hyun Kim, Byung Oh Jeoung, Hyuk Pyo Lee, Joo In Kim, Ho kee Yum, Soo Jeon Choi

Department of Internal Medicine, College of Medicine, Inje University, Seoul, Korea.

Abstract

Pulmonary gangrene is a rare complication of severe pulmonary infection in which a pulmonary segment or lobe is sloughed. It is a part of a spectrum of disease in which lung tissue is devitalized(such as necrotizing pneumonia, pulmonary abscess), but apart from them, pulmonary gangrene has mo re extensive area of necrosis and thrombosis of large vessels plays a prominent role in the pathogenesis. We experienced a case of pulmonary gangrene in 71 year old female obstructive pneumonia patient with non-small cell lung carcinoma. She complained high fever, chill and despite treatment with antibiotics, pneumonia progressed to empyema. At that time chest radiograph showed a large cavity including sloughed lung tissue, freely moving to dependent position at both lateral decubitus view. RML and RLL were resected and compression of pulmonary vessels by enlarged lymph nodes was observed. Defervescence was obtained immediate postoperative period and the patient was discharged after infection control with antibiotics, chest tube drainage. The perivascular ly mph nodes dissected during lobectomy were proved to be reactive hyperplasias. We speculated that the carcinoma caused obstructive pneumonia, in turn, resulted in reactive hyperplasia of the draining lymph nodes surrounding the large vessels and finally the lung tissues supplied by them necrotized and sloughed.

Key Words: Pulmonary gangrene, Obstructive pneumonia, Lung carcinoma