A 28-year-old woman was transferred to the intensive care unit (ICU) of
this hospital because of progressive respiratory failure. She had a history of
exercise-induced asthma, for which she had briefly used inhaled albuterol as a
teenager. On pulmonary-function testing performed, the spirometry results and
lung volumes were normal, but the diffusing capacity of the lungs for carbon
monoxide was severely reduced. Computed tomography (CT) of the chest, performed
without the administration of contrast material, showed diffuse, centrilobular,
nodular ground-glass opacities in both lungs with mild enlargement of several
mediastinal lymph nodes. The findings were thought to be indicative of
hypersensitivity pneumonitis. Transthoracic echocardiography reportedly showed
a small left ventricle with normal function, a markedly dilated and hypokinetic
right ventricle, and interventricular septal compression. 3-year history of
exertional dyspnea presented with severe hypoxemia and right heart failure that
had been caused by rapidly progressive pulmonary hypertension. Determining the
underlying cause of this patient’s pulmonary hypertension is a critical first
step toward building a differential diagnosis.
摘要檔案: 0507講師資料表CM_洪維程 _摘要.pdf