Pulmonary kaolin granulomas

We report a patient with multiple pulmonary kaolin granulomas. The granulomas developed secondary to the use of a liquid kaolin suspension for pleural poudrage to treat recurrent spontaneous pneumothoraces. Presumably the kaolin entered the lung through pleuro-alveolar or pleuro-bronchial openings. Kaolin pneumoconiosis is generally regarded as an inhalational pneumoconiosis. However, on rare occasions kaolin may incite lung damage by the mechanism described above.