Natural history and therapeutic implications of patients with catamenial hemoptysis

Thoracic endometriosis presented as catamental hemoptysis: a case series of a rare disease

OBJECTIVE

Thoracic endometriosis syndrome (TES) is a rare disease in which a functioning endometrial tissue is observed in the pleura, lung, parenchyma, airways, and/or diaphragm. The optimal management of this disease remains a matter of debate. We aimed to report TES cases and their effective hormonal treatment and management.

METHODS

In this retrospective study, women presented as catamenial hemoptysis (CH) diagnosed with thoracic endometriosis were included. The main outcome of measure was cessation or recurrence of the clinical manifestations of thoracic endometriosis.

RESULTS

The mean onset age of the 14 patients was 30.21 ± 5.40 years. CH was characteristic symptom of these patients. All patients underwent chest computed tomography (CT) scan during menstruation and 2 or 3 weeks after menstruation, which showed the obvious shrinking or disappearance of the lesions. All of the patients were given Gonadotropin releasing hormone agonists (GnRHa) for 3 to 6 months, eleven of them were administered with combined oral contraceptives (COC) cyclically after GnRHa. The median follow-up duration was 24 months. Hemoptysis recurrence was observed in one patient.

CONCLUSIONS

CH is a rare clinical entity of thoracic endometriosis, the change of CT images during and after menstruation or the response to GnRHa were helpful for accurate diagnosis. Hormonal treatment with GnRHa followed by COCs cyclically could be employed for efficient management of thoracic endometriosis.

Micrometastasis of endometriosis to distant organs in a murine model

Endometriosis is an inflammatory gynecological disorder among reproductive-aged women caused by the engraftment and proliferation of endometrial cells outside the uterus, most commonly in the pelvis. It is thought that the disease arises primarily from retrograde menstruation where cells from the endometrium travel through the fallopian tubes to the peritoneal cavity. However, migration of endometriosis-derived cells to distant organs outside of the peritoneal cavity have not been explored. In the present study, we developed and validated a mouse model of disseminated endometriosis using syngeneic DsRed endometrial tissue introduced into the peritoneum of immunocompetent mice. Flow cytometry and immunofluorescence analysis, demonstrated the presence of endometriosis-derived cells in multiple organs (including lung, spleen, liver and brain) in the murine endometriosis model. Immunostaining revealed the presence of DsRed+/CD45- cells in brain, liver and lung. Engraftment occurred in all experimental animals examined. Cells from endometriotic lesions are capable of migration to and engraftment of multiple organs outside of the peritoneal cavity. Micrometastasis of endometriosis is a novel and frequent phenomenon. These data suggest that widespread dissemination of endometriosis may be common, clinically unrecognized and contribute to the diffuse clinical manifestations of this disease.

A case of catamenial hemoptysis treated by bronchial artery embolization

Catamenial hemoptysis is a rare condition, characterized by recurrent hemoptysis associated with the presence of intrapulmonary or endobronchial endometrial tissue. Therapeutic strategies proposed for intrapulmonary endometriosis with catamenial hemoptysis consist of medical treatments and surgery. Bronchial artery embolization is a well-established modality in the management of massive or recurrent hemoptysis, but has seldom been used for the treatment of catamenial hemoptysis. We report a case of catamenial hemoptysis associated with pulmonary parenchymal endometriosis, which was successfully treated by a bronchial artery embolization.

Thoracic endometriosis: revisiting the association between clinical presentation and thoracic pathology based on thoracoscopic findings in 110 patients

Thoracic endometriosis (TE) is a rare disorder affecting women during their reproductive years. The etiopathogenesis of this disease is not well understood; the prevailing opinion is based on analysis obtained from case reports and small case series. A 1996 review of TE was not able to address the association between clinical presentation and thoracic pathology due to a paucity of thoracoscopic findings in these earlier cases. Since the year 2001, most published cases and series have included thoracoscopic findings. Therefore, we compiled data from case reports and case series published in English from January 2001 to July 2007 to analyze the demographics, clinical characteristics, and thoracoscopic findings, and to study the relationship between thoracoscopic findings and clinical presentation in patients with thoracic endometriosis. The clinical presentations in 110 patients were as follows: pneumothorax in 79 (72%), hemoptysis in 16 (14%), hemothorax in 13 (12%), and lung mass in 2 (2%). Ninety-one of the 110 (85%) patients underwent thoracotomy or thoracoscopy. The right hemithorax was more often affected (85%) than the left side (p = 0.008). The mean (standard deviation [SD]) age of all patients was 34 (7.6 yr). The mean age of patients presenting with hemoptysis (25.9 +/- 4.6 yr) was significantly lower than the age of those presenting with pneumothorax and hemothorax (p < 0.01). There was no significant association between the presence of diaphragmatic defects and pneumothorax (odds ratio [OR], 0.3; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.05-1.58; p = 0.23). The presence of parietal and visceral pleural implants was associated with a fivefold increase in hemothorax (OR, 5.55; 95% CI, 1.20-25.53; p < 0.01).Hemoptysis occurring in younger subjects may be the earliest manifestation of parenchymal lung involvement in TE. Diaphragmatic defects do not increase the risk for pneumothorax. Hemothorax reflects an increased burden of pleural implants in TE.

Catamenial hemoptysis and pneumothorax in a patient with cystic fibrosis

Hemoptysis or pneumothorax that recurs with the onset of menses is strongly suggestive of thoracic endometriosis syndrome (TES). TES is a rare disorder, with relatively few cases reported in the literature. A 32-year-old woman with cystic fibrosis, who over a period of several months had experienced recurrent catamenial hemoptysis and pneumothoraces, including an episode of life-threatening hemoptysis that coincided with menstruation, is presented. Thoracic computed tomography and magnetic resonance imaging scans, as well as a bronchoscopic evaluation that demonstrated endobronchial lesions that disappeared after menses, support the diagnosis of TES in the present patient. The patient was treated empirically with danazol and subsequently underwent a successful double-lung transplantation. Danazol was discontinued postoperatively, and she was started on an oral contraceptive. Eighteen months post-transplant, she has not experienced a recurrence of her catamenial symptoms, despite having resumed a regular menstrual cycle.