[A case of bronchiolitis obliterans after allogeneic bone marrow transplantation for acute lymphocytic leukemia]

Norihiko Nakanishi1, Kensuke Kojima, Nobuo Ueda

  • 1Department of Medicine, Ehime Prefecture Central Hosptial, Matsuyama, 790-0024, Japan.

A case of bronchiolitis obliterans after allogeneic bone marrow transplantation (BMT) for acute lymphocytic leukemia in an 18-year-old woman with both acute and chronic graft-versus-host disease is described. About 160 days after BMT she started complaining of a non-productive cough and exertional dyspnea. Pulmonary function testing revealed obstructive respiratory dysfunction. High-resolution CT (HRCT) scan of the lungs showed areas of parenchymal hypoattenuation with air-trapping, which was more emphasized with expiratory HRCT. She had many of the risk factors for bronchiolitis obliterans, such as total body irradiation, pretreatment with cyclophosphamide, chronic graft-versus-host disease and a low IgG level. Her symptoms were progressive and bronchiectasis developed. She died of respiratory failure 3.5 years after BMT. Bronchiolitis obliterans is an important complication of BMT which the clinician must take into account.