Overcoming the challenges of a misdiagnosed rare lung disease – idiopathic pleuroparenchymal fibroelastosis

Submitted: May 8, 2023
Accepted: June 26, 2023
Published: August 2, 2023
Abstract Views: 1207
PDF: 62
Publisher's note
All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article or claim that may be made by its manufacturer is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.

Authors

Pleuroparenchymal fibroelastosis (PPFE) is a rare condition characterized by pleural and subpleural lung fibroelastosis with an upper lobe predominance. We present the third case of idiopathic PPFE from India, as well as the second ante-mortem diagnosis. A 27-year-old man presented with a 1-year history of modified Medical Research Council class II shortness of breath and dry cough. He described a 15-kg weight loss. After a clinico-radiological diagnosis, he was given anti-tubercular treatment and referred because he showed no improvement. A high-resolution computed tomography of the chest revealed bilateral upper lobe bullae, parenchymal and subpleural fibrosis, and irregular pleural thickening. PPFE was found in surgical lung and pleural biopsies. He was given systemic glucocorticoids but did not respond clinically or radiologically. Pirfenidone and a lung transplant were out of reach for him. He died 9 months after being diagnosed with his condition. Finally, idiopathic PPFE is an extremely rare entity, with only three cases reported from our subcontinent. As a result, it is easily underdiagnosed or misdiagnosed; clinician awareness of this condition is critical for better diagnosis and management.

Dimensions

Altmetric

PlumX Metrics

Downloads

Download data is not yet available.

Citations

Thangakunam B, Isaac BTJ, Christopher DJ, Burad D. Idiopathic pleuroparenchymal fibroelastosis – a rare idiopathic interstitial pneumonia. Respir Med Case Rep 2016;17:8-11.
Maturu VN, Rajendran P, Narahari NK. Idiopathic pleuroparenchymal fibroelastosis presenting as bilateral spontaneous pneumothorax: a case report. Lung India 2019;36:75-7.
Bhaskar M, Tisekar O, Tandon S, et al. Rapidly progressive pleuro-parenchymal fibroelastosis secondary to cyclophosphamide chemotherapy. Indian J Med Paediatr Oncol 2020;41:427-9.
Fukada A, Suzuki Y, Mori K, et al. Idiopathic pleuroparenchymal fibroelastosis: three-dimensional computed tomography assessment of upper-lobe lung volume. Eur Respir J 2022;60:2200637.
Kinoshita Y, Kushima H, Ishii H. Idiopathic pleuroparenchymal fibroelastosis. BMJ Case Rep 2022;15:e251483.
Kinoshita Y, Miyamura T, Ikeda T, et al. Limited efficacy of nintedanib for idiopathic pleuroparenchymal fibroelastosis. Respir Investig 2022;60:562-9.
Boerner EB, Costabel U, Wessendorf TE, et al. Idiopathic pleuroparenchymal fibroelastosis (PPFE) – a case study of a rare entity. Rev Port Pneumol Engl Ed 2017;23:352-5.
Amitani R. Idiopathic pulmonary upper lobe fibrosis (IPUF). Kokyu 1992;11:693-9.
Frankel SK, Cool CD, Lynch DA, Brown KK. Idiopathic pleuroparenchymal fibroelastosis: description of a novel clinicopathologic entity. Chest 2004;126:2007-13.
Konen E, Weisbrod GL, Pakhale S, et al. Fibrosis of the upper lobes: a newly identified late-onset complication after lung transplantation?. AJR Am J Roentgenol 2003;181:1539-43.
Jacob J, Odink A, Brun AL, et al. Functional associations of pleuroparenchymal fibroelastosis and emphysema with hypersensitivity pneumonitis. Respir Med 2018;138:95-101.
Enomoto Y, Nakamura Y, Colby TV, et al. Radiologic pleuroparenchymal fibroelastosis-like lesion in connective tissue disease-related interstitial lung disease. PLoS One 2017;12:e0180283.
Xu L, Rassaei N, Caruso C. Pleuroparenchymal fibroelastosis with long history of asbestos and silicon exposure. Int J Surg Pathol 2018;26:190-3.
Reddy TL, Tominaga M, Hansell DM, et al. Pleuroparenchymal fibroelastosis: a spectrum of histopathological and imaging phenotypes. Eur Respir J 2012;40:377-85.
Watanabe K, Ishii H, Kiyomi F, et al. Criteria for the diagnosis of idiopathic pleuroparenchymal fibroelastosis: a proposal. Respir Investig 2019;57:312-20.
Cuppens K, Verbeken E, Coolen J, et al. Idiopathic pleuroparenchymatous fibroelastosis: a case report and brief review of the literature. Respir Med Case Rep 2014;12:7-9.
Becker CD, Gil J, Padilla ML. Idiopathic pleuroparenchymal fibroelastosis: an unrecognized or misdiagnosed entity?. Mod Pathol 2008;21:784-7.
Shioya M, Otsuka M, Yamada G, et al. Poorer prognosis of idiopathic pleuroparenchymal fibroelastosis compared with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis in advanced stage. Can Respir J 2018;2018:6043053.
Sato S, Hanibuchi M, Takahashi M, et al. A patient with idiopathic pleuroparenchymal fibroelastosis showing a sustained pulmonary function due to treatment with pirfenidone. Intern Med 2016;55:497-501.
Nasser M, Chebib N, Philit F, et al. Treatment with nintedanib in patients with pleuroparenchymal fibroelastosis. Eur Respir J 2017;50:PA4876.

How to Cite

Garg, Shivam, Pratap Upadhya, Arul Kumar, Norton Stephen, and Bala Subramanian. 2023. “Overcoming the Challenges of a Misdiagnosed Rare Lung Disease – Idiopathic Pleuroparenchymal Fibroelastosis”. Monaldi Archives for Chest Disease 94 (2). https://doi.org/10.4081/monaldi.2023.2632.

Similar Articles

<< < 55 56 57 58 59 60 61 62 63 64 > >> 

You may also start an advanced similarity search for this article.