• Parasites, Hosts and Diseases
• /
• 제49권1호
• /
• pp.69-72
• /
• 2011

Pulmonary paragonimiasis is a relatively rare cause of lung disease revealing a wide variety of radiologic findings, such as air-space consolidation, nodules, and cysts. We describe here a case of pulmonary paragonimiasis in a 27-year-old woman who presented with a 2-month history of cough and sputum. Based on chest computed tomography (CT) scans and fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography (FDG-PET) findings, the patient was suspected to have a metastatic lung tumor. However, she was diagnosed as having Paragonimus westermani infection by an immunoserological examination using ELISA. Follow-up chest X-ray and CT scans after chemotherapy with praziquantel showed an obvious improvement. There have been several reported cases of pulmonary paragonimiasis mimicking lung tumors on FDG-PET. However, all of them were suspected as primary lung tumors. To our knowledge, this patient represents the first case of paragonimiasis mimicking metastatic lung disease on FDG-PET CT imaging.

• Tuberculosis and Respiratory Diseases
• /
• 제64권2호
• /
• pp.133-137
• /
• 2008

폐흡충증은 폐흡충(Paragonimus westermani)의 중간 숙주인 민물 게, 민물 가재 등의 섭취를 통해 인체에 감염되는 기생충 질환으로, 기흉, 흉수, 낭성 종괴 등 다양한 임상 양상을 보인다. 고립 폐 결절로 형태로 발현하는 경우에는, 폐결핵 및 폐암 등과의 구분이 중요하다. 양전자 방출 단층촬영 검사가 감별 진단에 도움이 되지만, 폐결핵 및 폐 히스토플라스마종 등의 진균 감염에서의 위양성이 보고된 바 있다. 저자들은 48세 남자로 단순흉부촬영상 우연히 발견된 고립 폐 결절에 대한 평가 위해 내원한 환자에게서, 흉부 CT 및 FDG-PET에서 좌폐상엽의 폐문주위에 FDG 섭취가 증가된 고립 폐 결절 양상을 보여 폐암으로 의심하였으나, 폐엽 절제술을 시행 후 폐흡충증으로 진단하여 치료하였기에 문헌 고찰과 함께 보고하는 바이다.

• Tuberculosis and Respiratory Diseases
• /
• 제67권6호
• /
• pp.512-516
• /
• 2009

Background: Pulmonary paragonimiasis is a subacute to chronic inflammatory disease of the lung caused by lung flukes that result in prolonged inflammation and mechanical injury to the bronchi. However, there are few reports on the bronchoscopic findings of pulmonary paragonimiasis. This report describes the bronchoscopic findings of pulmonary paragonimiasis. Methods: The bronchosocpic findings of 30 patients (20 males, median age 50 years) with pulmonary paragonimiasis between May 1995 and December 2007 were reviewed retrospectively. Results: The diagnoses were based on a positive serologic test results for Paragonimus-specific antibodies in 13 patients (43%), or the detection of Paragonimus eggs in the sputum, bronchial washing fluid, or lung biopsy specimens in 17 patients (57%). The bronchoscopic examinations revealed endobronchial lesions in 17 patients (57%), which were located within the segmental bronchi in 10 patients (59%), lobar bronchi in 6 patients (35%) and main bronchi in 1 patient (6%). The bronchoscopic characteristics of endobronchial lesions were edematous swelling of the mucosa (16/17, 94%) and mucosal nodularity (4/17, 24%), accompanied by bronchial stenosis in 16 patients (94%). Paragonimus eggs were detected in the bronchial washing fluid of 9 out of the 17 patients with endobronchial lesions. The bronchial mucosal biopsy specimens showed evidence of chronic inflammation with eosinophilic infiltration in 6 out of 11 patients (55%). However, no adult fluke or ova were found in the bronchial tissue. Conclusion: Bronchial stenosis with mucosal changes including edematous swelling and mucosal nodularity is the most common bronchoscopic finding of pulmonary paragonimiasis.

• Journal of Yeungnam Medical Science
• /
• 제27권1호
• /
• pp.69-73
• /
• 2010

A paragonimiasis infestation is caused by the paragonimus species. Paragonimiasis mainly occurs by ingestion of raw or undercooked freshwater crabs or crayfish. In our country, the prevalence of paragonimiasis was high until late 1960s due to eating habits, but after the 1970s the prevalence of the disease has markedly decreased and now the disease is rarely seen. The diagnosis of tuberculosis by Chest X-ray is often confused with pulmonary carcinoma, bacillary and parasitic infections, and chronic mycosis. Pulmonary paragonimiasis must be considered in the differential diagnosis of lung cancer especially in the appropriate clinical setting because effective treatment with praziquantel can be rewarding. We report a case of a 58-year-old woman with pulmonary paragonimiasis that was suspicious for lung cancer, as detected by biopsy.

• Tuberculosis and Respiratory Diseases
• /
• 제63권5호
• /
• pp.440-443
• /
• 2007

폐흡충증은 임상양상이나 방사선학적 소견이 폐결핵과 매우 유사하고 최근 우리나라에서 유병률이 낮아 조기 진단이 어렵다. 저자들은 폐결핵으로 오인된 폐흡충증 1예를 경험 하였으며 폐결핵이 의심되더라도 균이 증명되지 않거나 항결핵제 치료에 반응하지 않는 경우에 폐흡충증에 관한 병력 청취와 충란 검사 및 ELISA 검사를 통한 감별진단이 정확한 진단 및 치료에 도움이 될 것으로 사료된다.

• Tuberculosis and Respiratory Diseases
• /
• 제39권1호
• /
• pp.103-108
• /
• 1992

Pulmonary paragonimiasis is the infectious disease of lung, due to 'Paragonimus westermani'. The clinical manifestations are various, and the main symptoms are chronic cough and persistent hemoptysis. Radiological findings mainly include thin walled cyst, migrating patch pulmonary infiltration, transient linear shadow, and hydropneumothorax, etc. The differential diagnosis should include pulmonary tuberculosis, pneumonia, other parasitic diseases, and rarely lung malignancy if the mass-like lesion is present. Recently, the incidence of paragonimiasis is very low. But the physicians should suspect paragonimus infection, if the patient has chronic respiratory symptom such as hemoptysis and lives in the endemic area such as Korea. A case of pulmonary paragonimiasis confirmed by histological basis of lung was presented with a review of the literature.

• Parasites, Hosts and Diseases
• /
• 제49권4호
• /
• pp.409-412
• /
• 2011

In Korea. many people enjoy eating raw or underkooked freshwater crayfish and crabs which unfortunately may cause paragonimiasis. Here, we describe a case of pulmonary and abdominal paragonimiasis in a 9-year-old girl, who presented with a 1-month history of abdominal pain, especially in the right flank and the right inguinal area, with anorexia. A chest radiograph revealed pleural effusion in both lungs, and her abdominal sonography indicated an inflammatory lesion in the right psoas muscle. Peripheral blood analysis of the patient showed hypereosinophilia (66.0%) and an elevated total serum lgE level (>2,500 IU/ml). The pleural effusion tested by ELISA were also positive for antibodies against paragonimiasis. Her dietary history stated that she had ingested raw freshwater crab, 4 months previously. The diagnosis was pulmonary paragonimiasis accompanied by abdominal muscle involvement. She was improved after 5 cycles of praziquantel treatment and 2 times of pleural effusion drainage. In conclusion, herein, we report a case of pulmonary and abdominal paragonimiasis in a girl who presented with abdominal pain and tenderness in the inguinal area.

• Tuberculosis and Respiratory Diseases
• /
• 제76권4호
• /
• pp.175-178
• /
• 2014

Here, we report a case of pleural paragonimiasis that was confused with tuberculous pleurisy. A 38-year-old man complained of a mild febrile sensation and pleuritic chest pain. Radiologic findings showed right pleural effusion with pleural thickening and subpleural consolidation. Adenosine deaminase (ADA) activity in the pleural effusion was elevated (85.3 IU/L), whereas other examinations for tuberculosis were negative. At this time, the patient started empirical anti-tuberculous treatment. Despite 2 months of treatment, the pleural effusion persisted, and video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery was performed. Finally, the patient was diagnosed with pleural paragonimiasis based on the pathologic findings of chronic granulomatous inflammation containing Paragonimus eggs. This case suggested that pleural paragonimiasis should be considered when pleural effusion and elevated ADA levels are observed.

• Journal of Chest Surgery
• /
• 제47권3호
• /
• pp.310-312
• /
• 2014

When the juvenile worms of the genus Paragonimus migrate and cause defects on the surface of the visceral pleura, pneumothorax can develop. A 34-year-old woman was admitted for pneumothorax with which was developed after she ate raw fish and crab. A 21-year-old male soldier presented with recurrent bilateral pneumothorax without eosinophilia, caused after drinking stream water frequently. In both patients, paragonimiasis was suspected from the computed tomography scan and confirmed by an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay test of the pleural fluid. When pneumothorax develops in patients who have ingested raw fresh-water crab or stream water, paragonimiasis should always be considered in the differential diagnosis.

• Journal of Medicine and Life Science
• /
• 제17권1호
• /
• pp.25-28
• /
• 2020

The prevalence of pulmonary pargonimiasis in Korea has been steadily decreasing due to develop of the public health, and there have been few clinical cases of paragonimiasis infections, especially in pneumothorax. A 22-year-old man referred to emergency department for dyspnea and chest pain. The right lung was totally collapsed on a chest X-ray. We emergently performed a closed thoracostomy with a 28-Fr chest tube. However, the air leak from the chest tube persisted for three days after the closed thoracostomy. A chest computed tomography showed multiple subpleural consolidative nodular lesions and mixed ground-glass attenuation nodules. We potentially suspected a secondary pneumothorax resulting from pulmonary paragonimiasis infection because the patient was a Chinese man who was working at a Korean restaurant. We decided to perform a medical treatment instead of pulmonary wedge resections. The air leak was discontinued three days after the prescription of praziquantel. The patient was discharged nine days after the admission. We suggest that anti-parasitic drugs are very effective in the secondary pneumothorax resulting from paragonimiasis.