Diffuse alveolar hemorrhage in a patient with ANCA-associated vasculitis after thyroidectomy: A case report

Antineutrophil cytoplasmic antibody (ANCA)-associated vasculitis (AAV) is an autoimmune disease that mainly affects the lungs and kidneys. Limited reports of perioperative management of such patients were primarily concerned with airway stenosis. Here, we report a patient with AAV who developed diffuse alveolar hemorrhage (DAH) early after radical thyroidectomy.

A 57-year-old female developed wheezing and dyspnea approximately 30 minutes after radical thyroidectomy, with hemoptysis occurring the following day. The patient had a history of AAV and DAH and was maintained with prednisone.

A diagnosis of DAH was made on the basis of the history of AAV, dyspnea, hemoptysis, and chest computed tomography scan results that showed diffuse high-density shadows in the lungs.

The patient was administered high-dose glucocorticoids and cyclophosphamide immunosuppressive therapy. Non-invasive ventilation was needed for 2 days postoperatively due to dysfunction of oxygenation.

After high-dose glucocorticoids and cyclophosphamide immunosuppressive therapy, DAH improved approximately 2 weeks after the surgery, during which time kidney function was not significantly impaired.

Patients with AAV may develop DAH in the early postoperative period and this may be confused with surgical complications and general anesthetic residues. Therefore, it needs to be identified in an appropriate timeframe.