Case records of the Massachusetts General Hospital. Weekly clinicopathological exercises. Case 48-1993. A 27-year-old woman with mediastinal lymphadenopathy and relentless cor pulmonale

Lymph node enlargement in pulmonary arterial hypertension due to chronic thromboembolism

The aim of this study was to determine the prevalence and location of enlarged mediastinal and hilar lymph nodes in patients with pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) due to chronic pulmonary thromboembolism (CPTE) and to identify possible causes. Thoracic CT images of 85 patients (43 men and 42 women, aged 18-80 years) with PAH in whom CPTE was confirmed at surgery (n = 75) or angiography and angioscopy (n = 10) were evaluated by two thoracic radiologists to determine the presence, size and location of lymph nodes more than 1 cm in the short axis. The presence of pleural and pericardial effusions and parenchymal abnormalities were also noted. Enlarged lymph nodes were identified in 38 patients (44.7%), including 11 with possible causes of lymphadenopathy other than CPTE. In the 27 patients with CPTE alone, 67 enlarged lymph nodes were detected (average 2.5 per patient). Nine patients had three or more enlarged lymph nodes. The most common sites of lymph node enlargement were American Thoracic Society locations 7 (n = 13), 6 (n = 10), 11L (n = 9), 10R (n = 7) and 4R (n = 7). Pleural and pericardial effusions were more common in patients with CPTE who also had lymphadenopathy than in the group with no lymphadenopathy (P < 0.05). Lymph node enlargement is common in patients with PAH caused by CPTE. The frequent association of lymphadenopathy with pleural and pericardial effusions suggest a possible pathophysiological mechanism of increased lymphatic flow caused by right heart failure.

Pulmonary veno-occlusive disease caused by an inherited mutation in bone morphogenetic protein receptor II

Pulmonary veno-occlusive disease (PVOD) is a rare form of pulmonary hypertension in which the vascular changes originate in the small pulmonary veins and venules. The pathogenesis is unknown and any link with primary pulmonary hypertension (PPH) has been speculative. Mutations in the bone morphogenetic protein receptor II (BMPR2) gene have been identified in at least 50% of familial cases and in 25% of sporadic cases of PPH. We report a patient with documented PVOD whose mother had severe pulmonary hypertension. Sequencing of the patient's BMPR2 coding region revealed a del44C mutation in Exon 1 that is predicted to encode for a truncated protein. Analysis of DNA from family members suggests that this mutation was transmitted by the proband's mother to two of her four children. The finding of PVOD associated with a BMPR2 mutation reveals a possible pathogenetic connection with PPH.

Pulmonary vascular disorders masquerading as interstitial lung disease

During the acquisition of a series of 92 children with interstitial lung disease (ILD) over a 14 year period, a significant minority (8/92 or 9%) were initially diagnosed as having ILD, but were subsequently found to have a variety of arterial, venous, and/or capillary disorders that explained their initial pulmonary findings. This subgroup of patients has had a very high morbidity and mortality, with only three of eight patients currently surviving. The presentation, evaluation, and natural history of these eight children were reviewed. We developed a strategy of cardiac and pulmonary evaluation for children presenting with clinical and radiographic features of ILD that helped us to identify rapidly those with pulmonary vascular disorders.