[A case of pulmonary dirofilariasis diagnosed through thoracoscopic lung biopsy]

A fifty-year-old man was admitted to our hospital for evaluation of an abnormal shadow in a routine chest X-ray film. Thorax CT scan revealed a relatively well defined nodule with a diameter 15 mm and pleural thickness in the posterior segment of the right lower lobe. A diagnosis by broncoscopy was undefinite and suspected to be a lung cancer. So thoracoscopic lung biopsy was performed to remove it. In a cross section of the resected nodule two degenerated worm structures were revealed and we diagnosed pulmonary dirofilariasis. Pulmonary dirofilariasis has been an increasing reported disease. Most of cases revealed a peripheral lung lesion. Thoracoscopic lung resection was useful for the diagnosis, considering as minimally invasive examination.