[Multiple pulmonary nodules due to ticlopidine-induced pneumonitis]

A 54-year-old man had been treated with Ticlopidine for antithrombotic therapy after a myocardial infarction. Six months after the start of Ticlopidine, pruritic skin rash developed. After 8 months, chest X-ray films revealed multiple nodules, and the patient was admitted to our hospital. Laboratory data indicated liver dysfunction and sputum eosinophilia. Transbronchial biopsy specimens disclosed intraluminal organization and alveolar septal thickening with lymphocyte infiltration. After cessation of Ticlopidine, the cutaneous lesions quickly improved, and multiple nodules completely resolved within 4 months. These findings resulted in a diagnosis of Ticlopidine-induced pneumonitis. The radiographic pattern of multiple pulmonary nodules was very rare. Sputum eosinophilia may be helpful in the diagnosis of drug-induced pneumonitis. To our knowledge, there have been no previous reports of Ticlopidine-induced pneumonitis in Japan.