The authors report a rare case of internal thoracic artery lesion caused by a chest tube in a patient under open drainage system treatment for empyema. The vessel rupture, leading the patient to hypovolemic shock and massive hemoptysis, was the indication for surgical intervention. They also emphasize the care with a thoracic drainage and the need for radiologic control.

Keywords: Thoracostomy. Internal thoracic artery. Chest tube.

Objective: Epidemiologic survey of respiratory diseases that cause hospital admissions at the Internal Medicine Service, Hospital Geral de Caxias do Sul (SCM-HG), a tertiary university hospital in the State of Rio Grande do Sul, Southern Brazil. Patients and methods: Retrospective study conducted at SCM-HG between November 1998 and November 1999. Data were obtained from medical records and included: a) major admission cause; b) associated diseases; c) sazonal variability; d) hospitalization length; e) mortality. Results: There were 1,200 admissions at SCM-HG, 228 (19%) caused by a respiratory disease. COPD (41.3%), pneumonias (29.8%) and bronchial asthma (9.6%) were the most prevalent. Fifty subjects (21.9%) presented comorbidity: cardiac failure (7.7%), systemic arterial hypertension (6.4%) and diabetes mellitus (4.4%). Pneumonias predominated between September and November, bronchial asthma frequency raised in October and November, and COPD prevailed from May to November. The admissions had an average duration of 10.4 ± 10 days. Twenty-six (11.4%) patients died. Conclusions: 1) Respiratory diseases were responsible for approximately 1/5 of the admissions. 2) COPD patients represented the biggest quota of admissions. 3) Patients with respiratory diseases stayed for a long time as compared with the others hospitalized patients (10.4 versus 7.7 days). 4) COPD, pneumonias and bronchial asthma behaved as expected regarding sazonal variability.

Keywords: Lung diseases. Asthma. Pneumonia. Epidemiology. University hospitals. Patient admission.

Behçet disease has been associated to pulmonary manifestations and may be lethal if not treated correctly. The authors describe a case of a 53 year-old male with aneurysmatic pulmonary artery dilatation, pulmonary hypertension, and hemoptysis. A review is presented about the diagnosis and the medical and surgical treatment of this disease.

Keywords: Behcet's syndrome. Pulmonary artery. Pulmonary hypertension. Aneurysm. Hemoptysis.

A case of larynx mucosa leishmaniasis was initially misdiagnosed with lung tuberculosis, because the first symptom was pseudohemoptysis. The histologic appearance confirmed the diagnosis. The primary location in the larynx is exceptional. It is very important for bronchoscopists to have a broad experience in upper airways to make an exact diagnosis.

Keywords: Leishmaniasis. Hemoptysis.

Granular cell tumor (GCT) is a term used to describe a tumor with distinctive histology, characteristic immunohistochemical profile, and peculiar ultrastructural findings. This tumor has an ample topographic distribution and its localization in the airways is considered common. The authors report on the case of a 40-year old woman who had been presenting productive cough and fever for two months and seemed normal at physical examination. Computerized tomography evidenced thickened intermediary bronchial wall and bronchoscopy showed, at this level, hyperemia and elevation of the endobronchial mucosa. Histopathological and immunohistochemical examination of the tissued established the diagnosis of GCT. The purpose of this report is to call attention to the possibility of diagnosing this kind of tumor by small endoscopic biopsies.

Keywords: Neoplasm muscle tissue. Granular cell tumor. Biopsy. Diagnosis

A rare case of Pancoast's syndrome caused by non-Hodgkin's lymphoma is reported. The diagnosis was made on the grounds of examination of the tissue obtained by pulmonary needle biopsy. The necessity of accurate histologic diagnosis and immunohistochemical study is emphasized.

Keywords: lymphoma; Pancoast's syndrome; lung neoplasms

A case of exuberant endobronchial tuberculosis is presented in a 29-year-old male patient, HIV negative, under endoscopic aspects before and after the institution of a specific therapy. Considering the high tuberculosis infection/disease prevalence in our environment and the potential sequelae of this kind of tuberculosis, the authors emphasize the importance of the respiratory endoscopic examination for the diagnosis, treatment, and follow-up of endobronchial lesions.

Keywords: Bacilo álcool-acidorresistente

The authors report a typical case of pediatric sarcoidosis presenting a granulomatous pulmonary disease with systemic impairment, reviewing clinical, diagnostic, and particular aspects of the disease in this age group, with emphasis on the difficulty to differentiate its diagnosis from that of tuberculosis.

Keywords: Sarcoidosis. Pulmonary sarcoidosis. Lung diseases.

Trauma primarily affects young people and is the leading cause of death in the first three decades of life. Flail chest is observed in approximately 10% of all patients with severe chest trauma, and the mortality rate among such patients is 10-15%. We report herein the case of a car accident victim with chest trauma causing hemopneumothorax and multiple rib fractures, intense pain and deformity of the chest wall. Surgical stabilization was performed, with good results. Therapeutic options are also discussed.

Keywords: Thoracic injuries; Flail chest; Thoracoplasty.

Mycobacterium kansasii, a nontuberculous mycobacterium, can cause pulmonary disease presenting clinical and radiological similarities to tuberculosis. M. kansasii infection has been associated with risk factors such as bronchiectasis, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, tuberculosis sequelae, pneumoconiosis and immunosuppression. Herein, we describe a case of pleural effusion in a 67-year-old patient with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and a history of pulmonary tuberculosis. The histological analysis demonstrated a granulomatous chronic process and acid-fast bacilli positivity, suggesting a diagnosis of pleural tuberculosis. M. kansasii was detected both in pleural fluid cultures and in cultures of tissue samples. We discuss the differential etiologic diagnosis with other infectious agents of granulomatous diseases, and we address treatment options.

Keywords: Mycobacterium kansasii; Mycobacterium infections; Pleural effusion; Case reports

Background: Mycobacterium kansasii is a nontuberculous mycobacterium that can colonize the lungs and cause pulmonary infection. Objective: To report authors' study of 6 patients with pulmonary disease caused by M. kansasii infection in a series of 6 patients diagnosed over 5 years. Method: Between June 1995 and June 2000, 1,349 patients diagnosed with tuberculosis were admitted to the Ipiranga Ari Nogueira da Silva Sanitarium. M. kansasii was identified in the sputum cultures of six (0.44%) of these patients. Results: Patient ages ranged from 25 to 77 years, 5 of the 6 were male, and all presented symptomatic chronic lung disease. All patients tested negative for HIV. Chest radiographs confirmed a history of lung disease; all presented thin walled cavities and adjacent pleural thickening was seen in 2. All patients were initially treated with isoniazid-rifampin-pyrazinamide. In 2 patients, intolerance to pyrazinamide necessitated the substitution of pyrazinamide with ethambutol. Based on the culture results, pyrazinamide was also replaced by ethambutol in 2 other patients. All patients were treated for 9 months or longer, and only one patient suffered recurrence of the disease. After being considered cured of the M. kansasii infection, 1 patient died of respiratory insufficiency due to silicosis. Conclusions: Mycobacteriosis due to M. kansasii was found only rarely and may be attributable to the characteristics of our patients. Therapy with isoniazid, rifampin and pyrazinamide with eventual replacement of the latter by ethambutol was shown to be effective.

Keywords: Mycobacterium kansaii. Lung diseases. Respiratory insufficiency.

Here, we describe the case of a 51-year-old female with mediastinal liposarcoma. Liposarcoma is the most common malignant mesenchymal neoplasm in adults, although a mediastinal location is extremely rare. It has a large volume and varied histologic subtypes. It is characterized by the compression of neighboring structures. Computed tomography and magnetic resonance imaging provide useful data for diagnosis. Tissue biopsy and histological typing are very important in determining the treatment and are needed for the final diagnosis. Radiotherapy and chemotherapy are ineffective treatment modalities. According to the literature, surgical resection is the treatment of choice. Long-term follow-up evaluation is indicated since there is a high rate of recurrence.

Keywords: Liposarcoma; Mediastinal neoplasms; Case reports [publication type].

The authors report a case of pleural lipoma which was found incidentally in a thoracic roentgenogram. The radiographic studies were inconclusive about the nature of the lesion. The diagnosis was established by histologic study of the tumor excised by thoracotomy, after an inconclusive cytologic study obtained by transthoracic fine needle aspiration.

Keywords: Lipoma. Pleura.

Pneumatoceles usually have a benign presentation. The authors describe an uncommon case of a 3-month-old boy who had a first episode of pneumonia and left pleural effusion. At the age of 2, he had another episode of pneumonia with pneumatoceles formation. He progressed with wheezing and enlargement of the pneumatoceles, chickenpox, urinary infection, liver abscess and toxocariasis. When he was 3 years old, the patient was admitted to hospital with pneumonia, giant bilateral pneumatoceles, status asthmaticus and possible immunodeficiency. Due to a restrictive pulmonary disorder, a chest tube was placed in one of the pneumatoceles, but there was no improvement in his respiratory status. He progressed to sepsis and respiratory failure, needing mechanical ventilation. The patient was submitted to bilateral bullectomy with expansion of the collapsed lung. However, he died soon after the surgery. This was an uncommon case with pneumatoceles that evolved to respiratory failure requiring surgical intervention.

Keywords: Pneumatoceles. Bullous lung disease. Cysts. Staphyloccocal pneumonia. Ventilatory insufficiency. Bullectomy.

The authors report the case of an adolescent with bilateral interstitial bronchopneumonia caused by measles. They discuss this rare presentation and the usefulness of thorax CT scan for the diagnosis of this disease.

Keywords: Measles. Pneumonia. CT scan.

The hemangiopericytoma is a rare malignant neoplasia that involves the lungs in about 10% of the cases. It usually presents as a great encapsulated mass in asymptomatic patients. The treatment of choice is surgical resection. The authors present a case of malignant lung hemangiopericytoma in a 62 year-old woman, followed by discussion and review of literature.

Keywords: Hemangiopericytoma. Lung neoplasms.

The diagnosis and correction of a rare case of traumatic transpericardial diaphragmatic hernia is presented with spontaneous intraoperative reduction by the verification of the lesions of the left lateral wall of the pericardium, diaphragmatic pericardium, and the central tendon, with intact left hemidiaphragm. Only one such case has been published in the last thirty years.

Keywords: Transpericardial diaphragmatic hernia. Thoracic injuries