Round atelectasis in sarcoidosis

Our plain-English summary of Round atelectasis in sarcoidosis, by C. Tetikkurt, S. Tetikkurt, I. Ozdemir, et al (Multidisciplinary Respiratory Medicine, 2011).

The study

• Authors: C. Tetikkurt, S. Tetikkurt, I. Ozdemir, N. Bayar
• Journal: Multidisciplinary Respiratory Medicine
• Published: 2011;6(3):180-2
• Cited by: 7 articles, as counted by NIH iCite
• Read it: PubMed · Publisher · Free full text

Abstract

Round atelectasis is a benign inflammatory condition most frequently observed in patients with asbestos exposure but it can also result from a variety of chronic pleural diseases like infection. It has not previously been described in sarcoidosis. We report the occurrence of round atelectasis in four previously diagnosed sarcoidosis patients who were under follow up at our outpatient clinic. Three patients had symptoms consisting of thoracic pain, dry cough and sensation of fullness at the posterior thorax, respectively. Chest roentgenogram showed subpleural or pleural based opacity with diameters ranging from 2 to 3 cm in each of the patients. Chest computerized tomography (CT) revealed features of round atelectasis. Fiberoptic bronchoscopy with transbronchial lung biopsy was performed. Diagnosis was confirmed by the histopathologic examination of the biopsy samples. The mechanical influence of a prior pleural effusion due to sarcoidosis may be the predominant mechanism underlying the onset of round atelectasis in these patients. Clinicians should bear in mind the possibility of sarcoidosis as an etiologic factor for round atelectasis.

In plain English

This case report described four male patients who were already being followed at an outpatient clinic in Istanbul, Turkey, for previously diagnosed sarcoidosis and who were found to have round atelectasis, a form of localized lung collapse. The authors reported that none of the four had a history of asbestos exposure, and no asbestos bodies were found in fluid washed from their lungs (bronchoalveolar lavage). Chest x-rays showed masses of 2 to 3 cm, and the authors reported that CT scans in all four showed the typical features of round atelectasis. Lung biopsies taken through a bronchoscope showed noncaseating (non-dead-tissue) granulomas, a finding the authors described as compatible with sarcoidosis. No complications occurred during or after the procedure. The authors concluded that clinicians should consider sarcoidosis as a possible cause of round atelectasis. They noted that the number of patients was small and that further studies are needed to find out how often round atelectasis occurs in people with sarcoidosis.

We wrote this plain-English summary from the full article with the help of AI, and a second AI model checked each sentence against the article. It is not the authors' wording; the abstract and the article are their own account.

What the study did and found

• Design: case report (series of four cases)
• Who was studied: Four male patients with previously diagnosed sarcoidosis followed at an outpatient clinic of Istanbul University's Cerrahpasa Medical Faculty, Turkey
• Exposure: No asbestos exposure was reported. The condition studied was round atelectasis occurring in sarcoidosis without asbestos exposure, chronic pleural disease or a history of infection.
• Main results:
  • Chest CT showed typical features of round atelectasis in all four patients. Chest x-ray masses measured 2 to 3 cm.
  • Each of the four case descriptions reported that no asbestos bodies were found in the bronchoalveolar lavage fluid.
  • Transbronchial lung biopsies showed noncaseating or nonnecrotizing granulomas, which the authors described as compatible with sarcoidosis.
  • No complications occurred during or after bronchoscopy with transbronchial lung biopsy.
• The authors' conclusion: The authors concluded that clinicians should consider sarcoidosis as a potential cause of round atelectasis.
• Limitations the authors state:
  • The sample size was small. Further studies are needed to define how often round atelectasis occurs among patients with sarcoidosis.

Topics

Medical terms in this study, explained in our Lexicon: Atelectasis, Asbestos Exposure, Thorax, Bronchoscopy, Biopsy, Pleural Effusion.

Related studies

• Causative factors, imaging findings, and CT course of round atelectasis — L. Azour, T. Billah, et al. (2018)
• Round atelectasis as a complication of Legionnella pneumonia — R. Kuno, D.J. Bower, et al. (1994)
• Round atelectasis and Metsovo lung — S.A. Papiris, M.A. Maniati, et al. (1993)
• Relative release of interleukin-1 beta and interleukin-1 receptor antagonist by alveolar macrophages. A study in asbestos-induced lung disease, sarcoidosis, and idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis — J.N. Kline, D.A. Schwartz, et al. (1993)
• Chitotriosidase activity in sarcoidosis and some other pulmonary diseases — M. Tercelj, B. Salobir, et al. (2009)
• Epigenetics and sarcoidosis — I.R. Konigsberg, L.A. Maier, et al. (2021)

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