SPN, Pleural Disease, Sleep Flashcards
Differentiate benign vs. malignant patterns of calcification for a solitary pulmonary nodule
Suggests benign etiology (ex: hamartoma) if calcification if diffuse (think granuloma), popcorn (think hamartoma) central, or laminar/concentric
Beware of malignant if stippled (dotted) or eccentric
Name features of a benign solitary pulmonary nodule
-calcification, more specifically diffuse popcorn concentric or central (think hamartoma, granuloma)
-fat containing (think hamartoma)
-vessel running in and out as you scroll (think AVM)
Hounsefeld units of
(a) Air
(b) Water
(c) Fat
(d) Bone
(e) Lung parenchyma
Hounsefield units- universal units for CT scan, based on arbitrary delineation of water as 0 and air as -1,000
So scale generally runs from -1,000 (air, all black) to +2,000 (bone or metal, all white)
(a) Air: -1,000
(b) Water: 0
(c) Fat: -35 to -40 Hu
(d) Bone: +2,000
(e) Lung parenchyma: -600 to -700 (has a lot of air in it…)
Aside from granuloma or hamartoma, what are other etiologies of solitary pulmonary nodules
-pulmonary AVMs (see vessels running in and out)
-lipoid PNA (fat containing)
-intrapulmonary lymph node (often peripheral, can be triangular shaped)
For what specific type of nodules do the Fleischner Society Guidelines refer to?
-incidentally found (so NOT for nodules found on lung cancer screening CT)
-not for immunocompromised
-not if have a feature suggesting benign nature (calcification, fat, vessel, peripheral and triangular)
So incidentally found solitary pulmonary nodules
Guideline recs for f/u of solitary solid pulmonary nodule incidentally-found based on size
Fleischner Society Guidelines for incidentally found solitary pulmonary nodule
Under 6mm: NTD (can continue annual cancer screening for those at high risk)
6-8mm: CT chest at 6-12 months for both low and high-risk groups
Over 8mm: F/u CT chest at 3 months vs. PET vs. tissue sampling
Guideline recs for f/u of multiple solid pulmonary nodule incidentally-found based on size
Multiple nodules:
Still if under 6mm no f/u needed, if high risk optional at 12 mo
Anything over 6mm: f/u in 3-6 months (so faster than SPN which is 6-12 mo)
Guideline recs for f/u of solitary ground glass vs. sub-solid pulmonary nodule incidentally-found based on size
Both ground glass and subsolid nodule: again if under 6mm: no f/u needed
If ground glass over 6mm: f/u 6-12 months (want to trend the solid component)
If part solid over 6mm: CT at 3-6 months
Give a Ddx for nodules based on 3 different types of distribution of CT
3 distributions of nodules
- centilobular- think HP, bronchiolitis (infectious or respiratory from smoking)
- perilymphatic- think sarcoid
- random- think hematogenous spread of either miliary infection (Tb or fungal) or metastasis
How to narrow diagnosis for multiple random nodules on CT chest
Random nodules
-homogeneous and tiny (1-3mm): think miliary Tb
-heterogeneous maybe ground glass or solid mixed think metastases
Describe classic nodular pattern of sarcoidosis on CT
(a) Galaxy sign
Perilymphatic nodules- so along interlobular septa, fissures, aka where the lymphatics go
(a) Nodules (representing granulomas) can coalesce into mass-like consolidations = galaxy sign
Describe the type of nodules seen here:
(a) Likely diagnosis
Centrilobular- spares periphery, hazy, in the middle of the lobule, equally separated b/c standard size of secondary lobule (smallest unit visible on CT chest)
(a) acute HP = diffuse centrilobular nodules
What is this pattern on CT?
(a) Location of the nodules
(b) Likely etiology
Y-shaped branching centrilobular nodules c/w tree-in-bud opacification due to bronchiolar obstruction causing dilation/impaction of the centrilobular nodule
(a) Tree-in-bud if a form of centrilobular nodules
(b) Mucoid impaction- can be from any acute infection, seen in asthma, MAI
Distinguish halo sign and reverse halo sign on chest CT
(a) Imaging features
(b) Buzzword diagnoses
Halo sign:
(a) central consolidation with surrounding ground glass classically representing hemorrhage
(b) angioinvasive aspergillus (or other fungal infection)
Reverse-halo sign = Atoll sign
(a) Central ground glass (central clearing) with denser consolidation crescenting around at least 3/4 circumference
(b) Organizing PNA, fungal infection, GPA, pulmonary infarct
What is Atoll sign on chest imaging?
Reverse-halo sign = Atoll sign
(a) Central ground glass (central clearing) with denser consolidation crescenting around at least 3/4 circumference
(b) Organizing PNA, fungal infection, GPA, pulmonary infarct
When may a pleural effusion due to CHF be exudative?
CHF effusion may be falsely exudative in s/o diuresis
-check out the albumin ratio to serum, aka likely that serum albumin is also reduced
Explain how can have a hepatic hydrothorax w/o ascites
Yes due to oncotic pressure pushing ascites up through diaphragmatic defects, but also can be due to negative intrapleural pressure (lungs draw in fluid from abdomen)
Diagnostic criteria for spontaneous bacterial pleuritis
(b) Mgmt
The other SBP = complication of hepatic hydrothorax
Diagnosis: either + culture with more than 250 nucleated cells (neutrophils)
or negative culture w/o evidence of PNA and more than 500 nucleated cells (neutrophils)
(a) Typically just need abx, don’t require drainage
What dx to consider if pt with nephrotic syndrome presents with exudative pleural effusion?
Think of pulmonary embolism
-high risk (about 20%) of PE in pts w/ nephrotic syndrome due to acquired protein S deficiency
Differentiate pleural manometry of normal vs. trapped lung
Pleural manometry in trapped lung- big pressure drop with removal of small amount of fluid
What is pleural elastance?
Pleural elastance- change in pressure of the pleural space per certain amount of volume removed
= dP/dV
ex: High pleural elastance in trapped lung where with small volume removal there is a big change in pleural pressure
-while normal needs a large volume removed to get a change in pressure
Differentiate trapped vs. entrapped lung
(a) Which may be reversible
Trapped = abnormally high pleural elastance due to fibrous thickening of the visceral pleura causing the pleural space to be irreducible
(a) Typically not reversible, may require decortication if pt very symptomatic
Entrapped = initially normal elastance (dP/dV) that becomes abnormally high as pleural fluid is removed, typically due to restriction of the visceral pleura from acute inflammation
(a) May resolve with treatment of the active pleural process
Describe physiology of transudative vs. exudative pleural effusion
Transudative- low protein fluid pushed against intact capillary membrane due to increase in hydrostatic pressure inside the capillaries
Exudative- fluid pushed against defective capillary membrane (due to inflammation- think infection, malignancy, rheumatologic) => allowing protein and cells (neutrophils, hence elevated LDH) to cross
Rare causes
(a) Parapneumonic effusion with high pH
(b) Transudative effusion w/ low pH
(a) Proteus PNA uniquely causes a parapneumonic effusion w/ elevated pH while other parapneumonic effusions will have low pH
(b) Urinothorax (urine in the pleural space) due to an obstructive uropathy = only cause of low pH transudative pleural effuison