Heart-lung transplantation: the postoperative chest radiograph

The postoperative chest radiographs of 10 patients who had undergone heart-lung transplantation at Stanford University Medical Center were evaluated and compared with those of 10 consecutive cardiac transplantation patients and 10 consecutive coronary artery bypass graft patients. In the second week after surgery, we observed an interstitial radiographic pattern in the heart-lung transplantation patients but not in the other two patient populations. This pattern, which did not correspond with any clinical evidence of infection, rejection, fluid overload, or oxygen toxicity, may represent the reimplantation response described in dogs and primates following transplantation of a single lung. This response may be related to the interruption of bronchial circulation, the denervation of both lungs, and the lymphatic interruption that occur during transplantation. It may also be related to the obligatory period of ischemia that is incurred during implantation.     

Acute lung rejection after heart-lung transplantation: correlation of findings on chest radiographs with lung biopsy results

This retrospective study was performed to determine if the chest radiograph could serve as a predictor for acute lung rejection in heart-lung transplantation patients. The findings on chest radiographs were correlated with the results of transbronchial biopsies in 16 heart-lung transplantation patients. The chest radiographs immediately preceding 83 biopsies were evaluated for a variety of findings. The histopathologic results of the lung biopsies were divided into five categories: (1) acute lung rejection (n = 25); (2) suggestive, but not diagnostic, of acute lung rejection (n = 8); (3) nonspecific (n = 26); (4) infection (n = 17); and (5) normal lung (n = 9). Biopsies from two patients showed both acute lung rejection and cytomegalovirus infection and were included in both categories. These histopathologic results were then correlated with the radiologic observations. We found that the combination of septal lines and new or increasing pleural effusions, without concomitant increase in cardiac size or vascular pedicle width, or evidence of vascular redistribution, indicated acute lung rejection with a sensitivity of 68% (17/25), specificity of 90% (52/58), and overall accuracy of 83% (69/83). We conclude that the chest radiograph is a useful indicator of acute lung rejection.     

Bronchiolitis obliterans in heart-lung transplantation patients: radiologic findings in 11 patients

Patients who survive the postoperative period after combined heart-lung transplantation are at risk for developing progressive airway damage consisting of central bronchiectasis and bronchiolitis obliterans. The cause of these abnormalities is uncertain, but they are thought to represent a form of chronic rejection. The chest radiographs and medical records of 11 transplantation patients with proved bronchiolitis obliterans were reviewed retrospectively. A pathologic diagnosis was made by open-lung biopsy (five patients), transbronchial biopsy (three patients), and autopsy (two patients). Clinical criteria alone were used for diagnosis in one patient. In all patients, the chest radiographs showed parenchymal abnormalities consisting of linear-nodular, nodular, confluent nodular, or diffuse alveolar opacities. Radiographic evidence of central bronchiectasis was present in nine of the 11 patients. This feature was not present on chest radiographs of five randomly selected asymptomatic transplant patients. We conclude that the parenchymal lung changes in bronchiolitis obliterans in transplant patients are nonspecific and are radiographically indistinguishable from other infectious and noninfectious complications. The presence of central bronchiectasis (nine of the 11 patients) may be a distinctive radiographic finding in this group of patients.     

Shifting pneumothorax after heart-lung transplantation.

Heart-lung transplantation involves the total replacement of two of the most complex organs of the thoracic cavity. This procedure is usually reserved for patients with failure of both systems, such as in primary pulmonary hypertension or chronic Eisenmenger physiology. The en bloc replacement of the heart and lungs leaves an open communication between the two sides of the thorax that may allow air or fluid to shift from one side to the other. To evaluate this possibility, the authors reviewed the chest radiographs of 25 heart-lung transplant recipients for signs of rapidly changing pneumothoraces that could not be explained by the conventional dynamics of pleural physiology. A series of postoperative radiographs showed unusual shifting or apparently rapid disappearance of pneumothoraces in eight patients. Decompression of a pneumothorax with a contralateral chest tube was a phenomenon observed in six of these patients.     

Chest pain and dyspnea related to "crack" cocaine smoking: value of chest radiography

The chest radiographs of 71 patients who had chest pain or shortness of breath following the smoking of highly potent "crack" cocaine were retrospectively evaluated. Nine patients had abnormal findings on radiographs as follows: atelectasis or localized parenchymal opacification in four, pneumomediastinum in two, pneumothorax in one, hemopneumothorax in one, and pulmonary edema in one. Radiographic detection of these abnormalities was important in the clinical management of these patients. This spectrum of findings is presented with a discussion of the pathophysiologic mechanisms responsible.     

Wegener's granulomatosis: findings from computed tomography of the chest in 10 patients.

Radiographs and computed tomography (CT) scans of the chest were reviewed for 10 patients with pathologically proven Wegener's granulomatosis. The CT scans revealed multiple pulmonary nodules in seven patients and a single nodule in one. The nodules ranged in diameter from 2 mm to 7 cm, and most had irregular margins. All of the nodules larger than 2 cm in diameter showed evidence of cavitation in the CT scans. Additional CT findings included associated areas of consolidation (in two patients), pleural thickening (in two) and pleural effusion (in two). Chest radiographs were available for eight patients, and the CT scans contributed information additional to that available from the radiographs for seven of these. In one patient lung nodules were visible in the CT scans but could not be distinguished from surrounding areas of consolidation in the chest radiographs. CT revealed additional nodules in five of the six patients in whom multiple nodules were seen in chest radiographs and in one of these also revealed cavitation tht was not visible in plain radiographs. CT excluded the possibility of a nodule that was suspected from the chest radiographs in a patient who had been treated previously for Wegener's granulomatosis. The authors conclude that Wegener's granulomatosis is characterized in CT scans by multiple nodules with irregular margins and by cavitation in nodules larger than 2 cm in diameter. CT may also demonstrate nodules and cavitation not apparent in radiographs.     

Obliterative bronchiolitis following lung transplantation. Diagnostic utility of aerosol ventilation lung scanning and high resolution CT

A serious and often fatal complication of heart-lung transplantation is the development of obliterative bronchiolitis (OB). Currently the screening for OB is based on symptoms, pulmonary function tests, and transbronchial biopsies. The chest radiographs are often normal with OB. Obliterative bronchiolitis produces luminal narrowing of both bronchioles and bronchi resulting in areas of peripheral consolidation and occasional bronchiectasis. We report a patient in whom a chest film was normal, an aerosol ventilation lung scan was abnormal while a perfusion study was mildly abnormal. Simultaneously, routine CT was essentially normal while high resolution CT with 1 mm thick sections was clearly abnormal and demonstrated areas of consolidation. These imaging modalities detected clear-cut abnormalities at a time when the patient was symptomatic but prior to the development of demonstrable abnormality on chest radiograph.     

Summer-type hypersensitivity pneumonitis: comparison of high-resolution CT and plain radiographic findings.

Summer-type hypersensitivity pneumonitis is an immunologic disease that occurs only in Japan. It is a form of hypersensitivity pneumonitis in which the clinical symptoms appear in the summer and subside spontaneously in mid autumn. The purpose of our study was to determine the CT findings in this condition, to compare the CT findings with those on chest radiographs, and to assess the variations in the CT findings over time. Accordingly, high-resolution CT scans and chest radiographs of 15 patients with summer-type hypersensitivity pneumonitis were retrospectively studied. Seven patients had sequential CT examinations 18-37 days apart. The CT scans and chest radiographs were reviewed by two observers independently. CT findings included diffuse micronodules (n = 15), slightly elevated lung density (n = 13), and patchy air-space consolidation (n = 13). In one patient, the findings on a chest radiograph were normal, while CT showed parenchymal abnormalities. In two cases, follow-up CT showed micronodular abnormalities after findings on the chest radiograph had returned to normal. Our results show that high-resolution CT findings of summer-type hypersensitivity pneumonitis include pulmonary micronodules, increased lung density, and air-space consolidation. High-resolution CT appears to be more useful than plain chest radiographs in the evaluation of pulmonary parenchymal abnormalities in this condition.     

High-resolution CT diagnosis of emphysema in symptomatic patients with normal chest radiographs and isolated low diffusing capacity.

To determine the prevalence of "nonobstructive" (impairment of gas transfer) emphysema in a select population of smokers with dyspnea, a retrospective study of patients with emphysema evident at high-resolution computed tomography (HRCT) was undertaken. Four hundred seventy HRCT studies were reviewed. In 47 cases, centrilobular emphysema was the dominant or sole parenchymal abnormality. Concomitant chest radiographs were available in 41 of these cases; 16 of the 41 lacked radiographic findings of emphysema. Among these 16 patients, pulmonary function testing revealed 10 to have normal flow rates (ratio of forced expiratory volume in 1 second to forced vital capacity and forced expiratory volume in 1 second greater than 80% predicted) and impaired gas transfer (single-breath carbon monoxide diffusing capacity [DLCOSB] less than 80% predicted). With the exclusion of one patient with congestive heart failure from the group of 10, the severity of emphysema at HRCT correlated inversely with DLCOSB (r = -.643). These results indicate that HRCT allows detection of emphysema in symptomatic patients when chest radiographs and pulmonary function tests are nondiagnostic.     

Bronchogenic carcinoma after lung transplantation: frequency,clinical characteristics,and imaging findings

PURPOSE: To determine the frequency, clinical characteristics, and radiologic findings of bronchogenic carcinoma in patients surviving more than 1 month after lung transplantation. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The study population was composed of 2,168 consecutive patients at seven lung transplantation centers who survived longer than 1 month after lung transplantation. Medical records, chest radiographs, and computed tomographic (CT) scans obtained at the time of diagnosis and prior images when available were reviewed for various items of information and imaging features. RESULTS: Twenty-four (1%) of the 2,168 patients, all with single-lung transplants, developed cancer in the native lung. Eighteen patients had emphysema, and six had pulmonary fibrosis. The frequencies of cancer in patients with emphysema and fibrosis were 2% (18 of 859 patients) and 4% (six of 147 patients), respectively. Twelve (50%) of their 24 cancers were detected at chest radiography. Fourteen (58%) patients had clinical symptoms. Twenty-one (88%) of the 24 patients had one (n = 11) or more (n = 10) nodules, and nine (38%) had one (n = 8) or more (n = 1) masses visible on CT scans. Nodules and masses were visible on 12 (50%) and seven (29%) of 24 chest radiographs, respectively. Eleven (48%) of 23 cancers for which prior chest radiographs were available were seen retrospectively on prior chest radiographs. CONCLUSION: Bronchogenic carcinoma develops in the native lung of transplant recipients with emphysema and pulmonary fibrosis with frequencies of 2% and 4%, respectively. The carcinomas most commonly manifest as a pulmonary nodule or mass on chest radiographs, with more nodules seen on CT scans.     

肾移植受者卡氏肺囊虫肺炎影像学研究

目的 提高对肾移植受者并发卡氏肺囊虫肺炎(PCP)影像学特点的认识。方法 总结24例肾移植受者并发PCP的影像学表现，分析其治疗前后的动态变化。结果 男19例，女5例；平均年龄39．2岁。发病距肾移植时间平均5．6个月，起病至就诊时间平均5．5d，发热24例，呼吸困难24例。病理表现为肺泡内蛋白样物质渗出，肺泡上皮细胞变性，肺泡间隔增宽，局部可见纤维化样改变。就诊时胸部X线10例呈弥漫性改变，其中3例磨玻璃样改变，2例磨玻璃样改变中见网格样改变，4例伴有片状渗出或融合实变。就诊时24例胸部CT均可见磨玻璃样改变，其中9例可见细网格状改变，12例可见边缘模糊的片状渗出影及肺内实变影。随着病情加重，胸部X片、CT出现肺内渗出和实变增多，明显时可见支气管空气影。约1—2周内发展到高峰。治疗有效后约1周，胸部X片及CT出现病变吸收好转的改变，1个月内基本吸收。结论 肾移植患者卡氏肺囊虫肺炎影像学表现为两肺弥漫性改变包括间质改变或肺泡渗出、实变，进展快，治疗有效后约1周胸部X片及CT才出现吸收好转的改变，1个月内基本吸收。胸部CT检查比X片更敏感。     

The plain chest radiograph after acute smoke inhalation

Serial chest radiographs of 45 patients from a major fire disaster were assessed for the effects of smoke inhalation injury. Thirty-three had abnormal chest radiographs on admission. Bronchial wall thickening was present in a total of 29 patients, subglottic oedema in 13, pulmonary oedema in seven, and patchy consolidation in three. Seven patients developed pulmonary oedema following initial exposure. This was the cause of death in two patients. Serial chest radiographs were useful in monitoring this very severe complication. Bronchial wall thickening and subglottic oedema were common early findings and thus may herald more serious subsequent respiratory embarrassment. Subglottic oedema is a previously undescribed finding. It not only indicates damage to the upper airways but may also indicate damage to the lung parenchyma. It may also make endotracheal intubation difficult. Therefore, the initial chest radiograph is an important predictor of significant smoke inhalation injuries enabling selection of patients likely to need ventilatory support.     

Evaluation of the role of chest computed tomography in the management of trauma patients

The role of chest computed tomography (CT) in the management of trauma patients is evolving. The present study reviews the chest radiographic and chest CT findings in a group of trauma patients to determine the clinical impact of findings noted exclusively on chest CT.Fifty-five trauma patients examined with chest radiography and chest CT and whose clinical charts were available for review were retrospectively identified. There were 46 men and 9 women, with a mean age of 39 years. The presence (and size) of pneumothorax, hemothorax, pulmonary contusion, and fractures was tabulated for the chest radiographs and CT scans. The presence of mediastinal widening on chest radiographs and all mediastinal findings on CT were noted. The results of aortography, when applicable, were correlated. The clinical charts were reviewed to assess the impact of CT findings on patient management.Pneumothorax (P<0.05), hemothorax (P<0.05), pulmonary contusions, and fractures were noted more frequently on chest CT than on chest radiography. However, clinical management was affected in only three (5%) of these patients. Chest CT findings related to the mediastinum affected patient management in 13 (24%) patients. CT obviated the need for aortography in 7 of 10 patients with mediastinal widening on chest radiographs. Six other patients had aortography, four for mediastinal hematoma with a normal-appearing aorta on contrast medium-enhanced CT, and two for mediastinal hematoma and aortic injury on CT.Despite detection of significantly more pneumothoraces and hemothoraces on chest CT, clinical management was affected in only a small minority (5%) of cases. CT did prove useful in evaluating the mediastinum, obviating the need for aortography in 7 of 10 patients with a widened mediastinum on chest radiography and accurately diagnosing the presence and site of aortic injury in the two patients with that diagnosis.     

Pulmonary infection after cardiac transplantation: clinical and radiologic correlations

Forty-one episodes of radiographically demonstrated pulmonary infection developed in 35 (30%) of 118 cardiac transplant recipients treated with cyclosporine. The most common pathogens were cytomegalovirus (CMV) (13 episodes), Pneumocystis carinii (12 episodes), and Aspergillus (five episodes). Appearance of CMV infection on radiographs was generalized and hazy (n = 9) or limited to one lobe (n = 4). All episodes of P carinii pneumonia, including six combined with CMV infection, appeared diffusely hazy. Aspergillus infection appeared either shaggy and nodular (n = 3) or bibasilar and hazy (n = 2). Aspergillus infection developed only early after transplantation (0.2-2.5 months), whereas CMV infection (1.1-6.1 months) and P carinii pneumonia (2.6-10.3 months) developed later (time ranges for latter two infections exclude three episodes that developed even later in two patients at risk for acquired immunodeficiency syndrome). Nine (8%) patients died of pulmonary infection, eight (7%) within 4.0 months of transplantation. Symptoms or signs were variable; none were found in four (10%) of 41 episodes. The authors recommend frequent chest radiographs in the early months after transplantation.     

Spontaneous pneumothorax and pneumomediastinum in IPF

Patients with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) are at risk for a variety of acute pulmonary complications, including pneumothorax and pneumomediastinum. Our aim was to describe the radiographic and CT findings and to determine the frequency of complicating spontaneous pneumothorax and pneumomediastinum in patients with IPF. A retrospective study was performed including 78 consecutive patients who underwent CT scanning of the chest and who had confirmed IPF. The chest radiographs and CT scans were reviewed by two chest radiologists and classified as showing features of extra-alveolar air collections. The CT scans showed extra-alveolar air in 9 (11.2 %) of 78 patients (six females and three males; age range 26–90 years, mean age 65 years). Pneumothorax was demonstrated in 5 patients and mediastinal air collections in 4 patients. All patients had dyspnea for 1–48 months (mean 14 months). Of the five cases with pneumothorax, four developed acute onset of dyspnea and pleuritic chest pain, whereas 1 patient had a relatively stable functional status. Of the 4 patients with pneumomediastinum, three presented with nonpleuritic chest pain and acute dyspnea. Chest radiographs showed extra-alveolar air in 6 patients. Three cases were predicted to be negative by chest radiographs. Follow-up CT showed that air collections had resolved completely in 5 patients. Two patients died of respiratory failure within 4 months after CT. Extra-alveolar air should be recognized as a relatively common IPF-related complication. Chest CT is a useful imaging method in determining air collections in patients with IPF that become acutely breathless and their chest radiograph fails to reveal the presence of extra-alveolar air. Received: 9 October 1998; Revised: 26 January 1999; Accepted: 6 April 1999     

Inadvertent ligation of the left pulmonary artery

In five patients, aged 4 days to 20 months, the left pulmonary artery was inadvertently ligated at the time of attempted closure of the patent ductus arteriosus. The complication was recognized in these patients between 1 day and 5 years later from findings of chest radiography, two-dimensional echocardiography with spectral analysis of Doppler shifted echoes, and angiography. In three patients, the presence of asymmetric pulmonary blood flow on chest radiographs obtained after surgery initially suggested the diagnosis. In the other two patients with bronchopulmonary dysplasia, the diagnosis was made by means of two-dimensional echocardiography and Doppler spectra in one and angiography in the other. On angiograms, the left pulmonary artery distal to the ligation was visualized by delayed opacification from aortic collaterals in three patients and by means of pulmonary venous wedge injection in one. Radiographic and echocardiographic examination with Doppler spectra may permit prompt diagnosis and early correction of this complication.     

Choledocholithiasis: diagnosis with oral-contrast-enhanced CT cholangiography

OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to determine whether global statistical data from radionuclide ventilation-perfusion scans could predict the likelihood of pulmonary embolism. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Digital data were obtained from 161 patients undergoing both radionuclide ventilation-perfusion scanning and subsequent pulmonary angiography. Morphometric data characterizing whole-lung perfusion and ventilation parameters were input into artificial neural networks in an attempt to predict the likelihood of pulmonary embolism. RESULTS: The performance of artificial neural networks using only automated global region of interest-based data was superior to that of clinicians in predicting the likelihood of acute pulmonary embolism in patients with normal findings on chest radiographs with segmental or larger emboli (p < .005) and in patients with normal findings on chest radiographs and emboli of any size (p < .01). Network performance did not significantly differ from clinician performance in patients with abnormal findings on chest radiographs. CONCLUSION: The adjunctive use of artificial neural networks using only user-independent, standard image statistics can significantly improve accuracy in the diagnosis of pulmonary embolism in patients with normal findings on chest radiographs.     

The utility of routine emergency department chest radiography in a population at high risk for tuberculosis

The purpose of this study was to determine the utility of performing routine screening chest radiography on all asymptomatic admissions from the emergency department in an urban population at high risk for contracting tuberculosis (TB). Chest radiographs were obtained on all asymptomatic patients admitted through the emergency department for drug detoxification or psychiatric illness at two urban hospitals in an area endemic for multidrug-resistant TB. The chest radiographs were interpreted prospectively by one of two radiologists, and the results were correlated with age, sex, and clinical outcome. A total of 481 chest radiographs were evaluated (407 men, 74 women; average age, 38 years). Of these, 436 (91%) were negative. Of the 45 with abnormalities, 35 (7%) were chronic, requiring no further work-up, whereas 10 (2%) had changes considered of immediate consequence. Of those with acute abnormalities, five patients presented with nodular densities, ranging from 5 mm to 3 cm in diameter; two patients had lobar infiltrates; and subsegmental atelectasis, congestive changes and an abnormal aortic contour were noted on one examination each. Of the six patients not lost to follow-up, five improved with medical therapy, and one was scheduled for surgical excision. The individuals with radiographic findings were significantly older than those with negative chest radiographs (47 years vs. 37 years). Only one patient had active TB; three others had chronic calcified granulomas. We conclude that routine chest radiography in young, asymptomatic individuals considered at high risk for contracting TB rarely detects significant pulmonary abnormalities or evidence of active TB.     

Chest radiographic findings after bilateral lung transplantation

We reviewed the postoperative chest radiographic and CT findings in the first 13 patients who underwent bilateral lung transplantation at our institution. Portable chest radiography was performed daily for about 10 days, after which upright posteroanterior studies were performed daily for about 10 days, and then as clinically required. CT was performed when a complication was suspected. The reimplantation response (noncardiogenic pulmonary edema due to ischemia, trauma, denervation, and lymphatic interruption) occurred in 12 patients and usually consisted of bilateral perihilar and basal consolidation. Twelve episodes of acute rejection, an imprecise clinical diagnosis, occurred in 10 patients. Radiographic changes consisted of bibasal (n = 2), right mid and lower (n = 2), or left basal consolidation (n = 1); there were no changes in seven episodes. Radiographic resolution occurred in four cases after administration of IV steroids. The radiographic findings associated with the reimplantation response and rejection were nonspecific and were mimicked by fluid overload and infection. Bronchial dehiscence and/or stricture formation occurred in seven patients; generally chest radiography was inaccurate and CT was very accurate in the assessment of these complications. Chest radiography was helpful but not definitive in sorting out the problems occurring in the postoperative period after bilateral lung transplantation. CT was excellent for use in demonstrating airway problems.     

Chest radiography in infant cardiac allotransplantation

Heart transplants were performed in seven infants at Loma Linda University Medical Center from 1985 to 1987. Five of these seven patients survived. In this report, the radiographic appearance of the chest is presented before surgery, immediately after surgery, and during a documented episode of rejection. The most current available chest radiograph is also presented. Acute rejection was confirmed by clinical, echocardiographic, and ECG findings. The only pulmonary infection encountered was mycoplasma pneumonitis. Four patients developed gastrointestinal rotavirus infections and were shown to have dilated proximal small-bowel folds on upper gastrointestinal studies. At the time of this writing, the prognosis for the five surviving infants is good. We conclude that the radiographs of infants who have received heart transplants show an unusual cardiac contour and slight cardiomegaly. Increasing cardiomegaly can alert one to early rejection. Prominent folds in the small bowel are of uncertain origin and significance, but they may be related to infection resulting from immunosuppression.