Fact-sheet: Focal organizing pneumonia
Updated on 06/30/2020 at 9:52 AM
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Definition
Nonspecific form of pulmonary parenchymal response to various types of lung injury.
Clinical features
Clinical onset generally subacute, flu-like, in a patient aged 40 to 60 years, nonsmoker (ratio 2/1).
CT
Presence of multiple foci of alveolar consolidation and/or ground-glass opacity, predominating in the lower lobes, bilateral but asymmetric.
An air bronchogram is frequently present when the consolidation is extensive. Nodular opacities are observed in 50% of cases; these nodules range from 1 to 10 mm in diameter depending on the extent of lobular involvement.
A rare but nonspecific presentation is described as the atoll sign, which combines
a ground-glass area encircled by a rim of alveolar consolidation.
Management
Intensive and prolonged corticosteroid therapy
Differential diagnosis
- Protracted infectious pneumonia (tuberculosis)
- Bronchioloalveolar carcinoma
- Pulmonary lymphoma
- Eosinophilic pneumonia
- Vasculitis