DIAGNOSIS OF LIPOID PNEUMONIA BY ASPIRATION BIOPSY

Abstract

Within the past fifteen years lipoid pneumonia has been repeatedly reported in the literature. In almost every reported instance the diagnosis was a pathologic one made on autopsy material. In an occasional case the diagnosis was suggested by the history and the clinical findings, and the subsequent improvement followed discontinuance of the use of various oral and nasal oils.¹ In rare instances oil droplets have been visualized bronchoscopically and the diagnosis made in that way. It occurred to us that biopsy of material aspirated from the lungs, a procedure now in use in the study of obscure pulmonary and mediastinal lesions, would be of value, and we were successful in corroborating the suggested roentgenographic diagnosis of lipoid pneumonia in 5 of 10 cases examined in this way. As far as we can determine, this is the first report of lipoid pneumonia demonstrated by aspiration biopsy. REPORT OF CASES Case