Tuberculosis and Respiratory Diseases  2004;57(2):183-187

doi:10.4046/trd.2004.57.2.183

Recurrent Secondary Pneumothorax Caused by Bronchiolitis Obliterans Due to Chronic Graft Versus Host Disease in a Patient with Chronic Myelogenous Leukemia after Allogenic Bone Marrow Transplantation.

Chul Min AHN 1 ; Sang Yun HWANG ; Min Kwang BYUN ; Jin Hyoung LEE ; Wou Young CHUNG ; Jin Wook MOON ; Moo Suk PARK ; Yoo Hong MIN ; Se Kyu KIM ; Joon CHANG ; Sung Kyu KIM ; Haeryoung KIM ; Hoguen KIM ; Young Sam KIM

Affiliations

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Keywords

Bone marrow transplantation; Bronchiolitis obliterans; Graft-versus-host-disease; Pneumothorax; air-leak syndrome

Country

Republic of Korea

Language

Korean

Abstract

Bronchiolitis obliterans (BO) is a nonspecific inflammatory injury affecting primarily the small airways. Its inflammatory process is characterized by fibrotic obliteration of the lumen of bronchioles. BO can be idiopathic or associated with connective tissue disease, inhaled toxins, infections, drugs, and chronic graft-versus-host-disease (GVHD). Pulmonary complications occur in 40~60% of patients who undergo allogeneic bone marrow transplantation (BMT), causing 10~40% of transplant-related deaths. BO is a characteristic pulmonary complication which occurs usually within a few years after BMT. Documented complications of BO include air-leak syndromes such as pneumomediastinum, subcutaneous emphysema and pneumothorax. We report a case of a 30-year-old male patient with BO due to chronic GVHD after allogenic BMT who presented with recurrent bilateral pneumothoraces.