[CT findings of cases of pulmonary alveolar proteinosis]

The CT findings of pulmonary alveolar proteinosis were studied. The subjects consisted of five cases; 4 men and 1 woman with an average age of 47.4 years old. The total of 19 CT views were analyzed with a mean follow-up duration of 5.7 +/- 1.2 years. The interval from the estimated onset to the first CT examination day was considered to be 6.0 +/- 3.1 years. The purposes of this report were; 1) Whether one could obtain useful information for the diagnosis by initial CT? 2) What were the changes of imaging with the passage of time on CT? 3) How one could predict the prognosis of the patients by CT? From the results of initial CT, pulmonary alveolar proteinosis showed diffuse, non-segmental densities with a mixture of various degrees of consistency, with peripheral clear zone which could be detected under posterior and lateral chest wall and/or interlobar area, and occasional air bronchograms. Irregular shaped patchy densities attached to the anterior chest wall were detected in 4 cases. These densities made the anterior pleural line irregular. In two cases, densities which were thought to represent the deposition of protein-like material in alveolar spaces decreased in the clinical course. Interstitial changes of the lung field were thought to cause the loss of lung volume, dilatation of bronchi and bronchioles, resulting in cystic changes and respiratory difficulty increased. In another case, the densities spontaneously disappeared during a period of one year.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)