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Obstructive atelectasis in patients with small cell lung cancer. Incidence and response to treatment.

STUDY OBJECTIVES: Define the incidence of obstructive atelectasis in patients presenting with small cell lung cancer and their response to treatment. DESIGN: Retrospective review of clinical records and radiographic studies. SETTING: Single federal government institution-the National Cancer Institute-Naval Medical Oncology Branch. PATIENTS: One hundred seventy-two consecutive patients treated between 1983 and 1993. INTERVENTIONS: Patients presenting with obstructive atelectasis were identified. The incidence of dyspnea, cough, and sputum production before starting treatment and 1, 3, and 6 months later was determined. Fiberoptic bronchoscopy and chest radiographs performed before starting treatment were compared with those obtained later in the patients' clinical course. MEASUREMENTS AND RESULTS: Thirty-seven of 172 (22%) patients had obstructive atelectasis. Initial symptoms included cough in 25 (68%), dyspnea in 24 (65%), and productive cough in 10 (27%). The patients' symptoms of cough, dyspnea, and sputum production decreased to one third of the initial prevalence 1 month after the start of treatment. Fiberoptic bronchoscopy and chest radiographs performed 3 months after starting treatment demonstrated bronchial patency in 90%. CONCLUSIONS: Obstructive atelectasis occurs in approximately one fifth of patients presenting with small cell lung cancer. Chemotherapy and chemotherapy plus chest radiotherapy lead to symptomatic, bronchoscopic, and radiographic resolution in similar proportions of patients with obstructive atelectasis.

Aged↗

Positive end-expiratory pressure in the management of lobar atelectasis.

Positive end-expiratory pressure (PEEP) has been extensively utilized in the treatment of severe hypoxemia from noncardiogenic pulmonary edema. The usefulness of therapy with PEEP in the management of lobar atelectasis has not been previously stressed. Recently, we observed four patients with lobar atelectasis who failed to respond to the usual conservative measures of endotracheal suctioning and thoracic physiotherapy. Atelectasis was confirmed by physical examination and chest x-ray films, and three of the four patients subsequently underwent fiberoptic bronchoscopic examination. Endobronchial obstruction was not found, and despite extensive irrigation and suctioning, the atelectasis failed to resolve. Therapy with PEEP was then added, with pressures of 5 to 15 cm H2O. Serial chest x-ray films disclosed resolution of the atelectasis within 4 1/2 hours in two patients, within 14 hours in one patient, and within 24 hours in the remaining patient.

Adolescent↗

Contrast-enhanced sonography of the lung for differential diagnosis of atelectasis.

OBJECTIVE: Because of the absence of air in atelectatic tissue, sonography allows visualization of lung atelectasis and may characterize pulmonary and bronchial arterial vascularity by contrast-enhanced sonography (CES). METHODS: Thirty consecutive patients with obstructive atelectasis (OA) (n = 17) and compression atelectasis (n = 13) were retrospectively studied by CES using a second-generation sulfur hexafluoride contrast agent (SonoVue [BR1]; Bracco SpA, Milan, Italy). The following CES parameters were evaluated: (1) time to enhancement (TE) of the contrast agent after intravenous application was determined and classified as short TE and delayed TE (short TE, < or =6 seconds; versus delayed TE, >7 seconds); and (2) extent of enhancement (EE) was evaluated during the arterial phase (2-30 seconds) and the parenchymal phase (1-5 minutes): the EE of pleural lesions was determined in comparison with splenic enhancement and classified in reduced EE versus marked EE. RESULTS: All 13 patients with compression atelectasis had a short TE and a marked EE during arterial and parenchymal phases. In the remaining 17 patients with OA, 10 patients had a short TE and 7 patients had a delayed TE. The EE during both phases was reduced in 5 patients and marked in 3. Nine of 17 patients with OA had different EE during arterial and parenchymal phases. CONCLUSIONS: Compression atelectasis is characterized by CES with a short TE and a marked EE, indicating patent pulmonary arterial vascularization. In patients with OA, a variable CES pattern is found. With regard to only the TE, a delayed TE implies OA. This indicates a shifting of pulmonary vascularization to bronchial arterial vascularization in these patients.

Adult↗

Airway closure, atelectasis and gas exchange during anaesthesia.

Pulmonary gas exchange is regularly impaired during general anaesthesia with mechanical ventilation. This results in decreased oxygenation of blood. Major causes are collapse of lung tissue (atelectasis) and airway closure. Collapsed lung tissue is present in 90% of all subjects, both during spontaneous breathing and after muscle paralysis, and whether intravenous or inhalational anaesthetics are used. Airway closure is also common and increases in magnitude with increasing age of the patient. There are correlation between the amount of atelectasis and pulmonary shunt and between airway closure and perfusion of poorly ventilated lung regions (low VA/Q). Atelectasis and airway closure explain as much as 74% of gas exchange impairment in routine anaesthesia. A major cause of atelectasis is the pre-oxygenation during induction of anaesthesia. Lowering the inspired O2 concentration to 80% suffices to avoid almost all atelectasis. Airway closure and low VA/Q can only be prevented by raising the FRC level by PEEP or by other means.

Airway Obstruction↗

Rounded atelectasis with atypical computed tomography findings.

Rounded atelectasis is atelectasis of the peripheral part of the lung, typically in contact with thickened pleura, featuring characteristic computed tomography findings. In this case, a 61-year-old man with history of asbestos exposure presented with a right-middle-lobe nodule on chest radiograph, with computed tomography findings suspicious for neoplasm. The patient underwent surgical resection, which revealed rounded atelectasis. Our case raises a question about the sensitivity of radiographic criteria used in identifying rounded atelectasis, and it emphasizes the need to keep rounded atelectasis in the differential diagnosis of a single pulmonary nodule in a patient with a history of asbestos exposure.

Diagnosis, Differential↗

[Pulmonary atelectasis in patients with neurological or muscular disease; gravity-related lung compression by the heart and intra-abdominal organs on persistent supine position].

We report 10 cases of pulmonary atelectasis diagnosed by chest computed tomography in patients with neurological or muscular disease. Atelectasis was frequently seen in hypotonic patients who could not roll over on their own. The atelectases located mostly in the dorsal bronchopulmonary segments, adjacent to the heart or diaphragm. Atelectasis diminished in two patients after they became able to roll themselves over. Gravity-related lung compression by the heart and intra-abdominal organs on persistent supine position can cause pulmonary atelectasis in patients with neurological or muscular disease who can not roll over by their own power. To confirm that the prone position reduces compression of the lungs, chest computed tomography was performed in both the supine and the prone position in three patients. Sagittal images with three-dimensional computed tomographic reconstruction revealed significant sternad displacements of the heart and caudal displacements of the dorsal portion of the diaphragm on prone position compared with supine position. The prone position, motor exercises for rolling over, and biphasic cuirass ventilation are effective in reducing gravity-related lung compression. Some patients with intellectual disabilities were also able to cooperate in chest physiotherapy. Chest physiotherapy is useful in preventing atelectasis in patients with neurological or muscular disease.

Abdomen↗

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and anaesthesia: formation of atelectasis and gas exchange impairment.

Gas exchange impairment and the development of atelectasis during enflurane anaesthesia were studied in 10 patients (mean age 70 yrs) with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). Awake, no patient displayed atelectasis as assessed by computed X-ray tomography. The ventilation/perfusion distribution (VA/Q), studied by the multiple inert gas elimination technique, displayed an increased dispersion of VA/Q ratios (the logarithmic standard deviation of the perfusion distribution, mean log Q SD 0.99; upper 95% confidence limit of normal subject: 0.60), and increased perfusion of regions with low VA/Q ratios (0.005 less than VA/Q less than 0.1: 5.4% of cardiac output). Shunt was negligible (mean 0.6%). Computed chest tomography showed significantly larger cross-sectional thoracic areas than previously seen in subjects with healthy lungs (p less than 0.01). No atelectasis was seen in any patient. During anaesthesia there was a further worsening of the VA/Q mismatch with significantly increased log Q SD (1.29, p less than 0.05) but no increase in shunt (mean 1%). Minor atelectatic areas were noted in three patients, the others displayed no atelectasis at all. Chest dimensions were reduced by no more than 3% during anaesthesia, suggesting an unchanged or only minimally affected functional residual capacity. These findings contrast with those seen in patients with healthy lungs in whom atelectasis and shunt regularly develop during anaesthesia.

Aged↗

[6 cases of contralateral atelectasis immediately after thoracotomy in lateral position--its mechanism and treatment].

Six cases of atelectasis developing in the unopened contralateral lung immediately after thoracotomy in the lateral position were presented, and its cause and treatment were discussed. Atelectasis due to retention of secretion showed various atelectatic X-ray shadows which differed in size by the segment or lobe unit. On the other hand, cases of atelectasis whose occurrence was surmised to be related to the lateral position and anesthesia showed mainly infiltrative shadows which extended from the outer region of the middle-lower lung field to the basal segments of the lung, although some cases were accompanied by atelectatic shadows of various size in terms of the segment or lobe unit. Therefore in order to prevent atelectasis, it is desirable to move sputum by aspiration and appropriately apply ventilation, intermittent pressurization and PEEP, while paying careful attention to the unopened lung. In the treatment of atelectasis, selective endobronchial pressurization using a bronchofiberscope equipped with a cuff was effective. It was also very effective to place an endotracheal tube for ordinary anesthesia near the target bronchus with the aid of a bronchofiberscope and perform selective endobronchial pressurization via that tube.

Aged↗

[A reconsideration of postoperative fever due to pulmonary atelectasis].

Atelectasis has been reported as a common cause of fever in the first 48 hours after surgery. A group of one hundred patients programmed for elective abdominal surgery were studied with chest roentgenograms, both before and 48 hours after surgery. Thirty-one of them developed atelectasis and eighteen developed fever. Four of the patients with and fourteen without atelectasis, had fever. Five cases had unexplained fever, three of them with pulmonary atelectasis. These findings suggest that atelectasis can cause postoperative fever, but it is not the most common cause of fever in the first 48 hours after surgery.

Abdomen↗

Gravity-dependent atelectasis. Radiologic, physiologic and pathologic correlation in rabbits on high-frequency oscillation ventilation.

The authors identify the radiologic features of progressive atelectasis induced under conditions of reduced lung volume. Control (n = 5) and experimental (n = 7) animals were placed on high-frequency oscillation (HFO) ventilation (mean airway pressure: 3 cm H2O) for 6 hours. In the experimental animals, lung volume was artificially reduced by pneumoperitoneum during HFO ventilation. Computed tomography scans and chest radiographs were obtained every hour, and arterial blood gases analyzed. No changes were detected in the control animals. In the experimental animals, in which hypoxemia developed, homogeneous opacity in the dependent lung was found on CT images, and chest radiographs showed a diffuse homogenous shadow with loss of lung volume. Study of pathologic sections from the lung showed that the roentgenographic findings represented atelectasis. The lung was divided into three zones, from dependent to nondependent regions: severe atelectasis, mild atelectasis, and normal lung. Hyperinflations eliminated atelectasis seen on the CT images and alleviated hypoxemia; however an undesirable effect that causes barotrauma also was observed.

Animals↗

Atelectasis and subpulmonic fluid: a CT pitfall in distinguishing pleural from peritoneal fluid.

The ability to distinguish between pleural and peritoneal fluid is important in the management of patients with peridiaphragmatic fluid collections. The differentiation of subphrenic fluid from pleural effusion by CT may be difficult and requires a detailed understanding of the normal appearance of the diaphragm on transaxial images. We report 12 patients in whom peridiaphragmatic fluid collections could potentially be misinterpreted as peritoneal rather than pleural fluid. In all cases the presence of subsegmental, basilar atelectasis with subpulmonic fluid created confusing CT images. Subsegmental atelectasis formed a curvilinear band at the lung base that simulated the hemidiaphragm. Fluid anterior to the atelectasis caused a false impression of subdiaphragmatic (peritoneal) fluid. Computed tomography through the upper abdomen excluded intraabdominal fluid in all cases. In four cases ultrasonography confirmed fluid in a supradiaphragmatic, subpulmonic location, excluded peritoneal fluid, and identified subsegmental atelectasis. The presence of subpulmonic fluid and subsegmental atelectasis requires meticulous interpretation of transaxial CT images to avoid the incorrect localization of peridiaphragmatic fluid collections.

Ascitic Fluid↗

[Hypoxemia and pulmonary atelectasis after laparoscopic cholecystectomy].

The aim of this study is to evaluate, after laparoscopic (CL) or open (CO) cholecystectomy, the incidence of pulmonary atelectasis and hypoxaemia which are strictly related to the onset of pulmonary complications. Two groups of 20 consecutive patients affected by symptomatic and not complicated gallstone disease were cholecystectomized either using CO or CL. Hypoxaemia was assessed preoperatively and after operation. Postoperative determination was performed at the 4th, 8th, 12th and 24th hour and then every 12 hours until discharge from hospital. A not informed radiologist evaluated atelectasis through two X-rays, preoperatively and postoperatively at the 3rd day. Atelectasis cases were divided in micro, focal, segmental, lobar and of the entire lung. Statistic analysis was performed using the "t" Student test. No mortality or intraoperative complications occurred. The two groups were similar for age, sex, smoker percentage, obesity, preexisting pulmonary dysfunctions and anaesthesiological risk (ASA). Operative time resulted in longer in CL compared to CO patients although in an insignificant way. PO2 value resulted significatively reduced (P < 0.05) at 4th, 8th, 12th and 24th postoperative hour after CO, while subsequent measurements did not show significant differences. There was no evidence of PO2 significative reduction after CL. After operation atelectasis was found in 11 patients (55%) of CL group (P < 0.05) and in 17 patients (85%) of CO group (P < 0.001). Atelectasis observed in the group of 11 CL patients was represented by 7 micro and 4 focal types, while in the CO group 7 micro, 8 focal and 2 segmental types were found. This study suggests that CL alters the pulmonary function less than CO.

Cholecystectomy↗

Postoperative atelectasis.

Postoperative atelectasis is a common problem following any surgery. Limited atelectasis is usually well-tolerated and easily reversible. However, complete atelectasis of the remaining lung following partial lung resection may be poorly tolerated. Thoracic surgical procedures increase the risk because pain, thoracic muscle injury, chest wall instability, and diaphragmatic dysfunction impair clearance of secretions by cough. In addition, patients with lung diseases are prone to increased bronchial secretions. Prophylaxis includes preoperative and postoperative physiotherapy and medications, which should be graded in accordance to the individual patient's risk factors. Large atelectasis requires bronchoscopy to remove mucous plugs. Tracheostomy should be considered in patients with relapsing atelectasis or swallow disorders.

Bronchoscopy↗

Fascia and perichondrium atrophy in tympanoplasty and recurrent middle ear atelectasis.

Fascia and perichondrium grafts to replace and reinforce thin, atrophic tympanic membranes (TMs) are recommended by several authors to correct middle ear atelectasis by forming a fibrous, collapse-resistant TM. This study reviewed the status of connective tissue grafts performed over the 10-year period from 1979 to 1988 to determine if these grafts would maintain sufficient strength and fibrous character to resist recurrent atelectasis. The author used fascia or perichondrium to repair 89 TM defects, and 63 ears were available for follow-up: 54 had cholesteatomas and 9 had perforations. Graft atrophy was judged by microscopic otoscopy and Kodachrome otophotography. Fascia TM grafts atrophied in 35 of 43 ears (80%), and perichondrium atrophied in 8 of 20 ears (40%). Grafts maintained their relatively thick and fibrous character in only 20 of 63 ears (32%). If fascia and perichondrium used to correct atelectasis were to atrophy at the same rate as the grafts in this series, atelectasis would recur after attempts to reinforce atrophic TMs. Atelectasis-prone middle ears require intubation despite surgery.

Adolescent↗

Chest physiotherapy and post-extubation atelectasis in infants.

We investigated the role of chest physiotherapy (CPT) in preventing post-extubation atelectasis (PEA) in infants. Sixty-three infants who were admitted to the neonatal intensive care unit and intubated for more than 24 hours and who showed no evidence of atelectasis by chest x-ray prior to extubation were enrolled in the study. Infants were randomly assigned to 2-hourly CPT, 4-hourly CPT, or a no CPT group. Chest physiotherapy began immediately after extubation and consisted of postural drainage, bilateral chest vibration, and suctioning. A second chest x-ray was obtained on all infants 24 hours following extubation. The three groups were comparable in birth weight, gestational age, and duration of intubation. In the 24-hour period following extubation, the incidence of PEA was not statistically significant in the three groups (P = 0.33). Two infants in the 2-hourly CPT group were placed on nasal continuous positive airway pressure; two in each of the 2-hourly and the no CPT groups required re-intubation and intermittent positive pressure ventilation to treat symptomatic atelectasis. We conclude that post extubation chest physiotherapy as used in this study did not prevent atelectasis in extubated infants.

Drainage, Postural↗

Bronchoscopically administered recombinant human DNase for lobar atelectasis in cystic fibrosis.

Lobar atelectasis is a common complication of cystic fibrosis. The majority of cases respond to intravenous antibiotics and chest physiotherapy. In a subgroup of patients, atelectasis is resistant to medical therapy, and its persistence in the pediatric population is associated with a poor prognosis. Bronchoscopic instillation of human recombinant DNase expanded atelectatic lobes in three children resistant to at least 2 weeks of medical therapy. This method of administration of DNase has been successful in resistant cases of lobar atelectasis in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, quadriplegia, and status asthmaticus. Purulent cystic fibrosis sputum has a very high DNA content, and DNA has been shown to become more pourable in vitro when treated with rhDNase. Bronchoscopic instillation of rhDNase should be considered in cases of persistent lobar atelectasis unresponsive to medical therapy.

Bronchoscopy↗

Resolution of recurrent atelectasis in spinal cord injury patients with administration of recombinant human DNase.

Atelectasis occurs frequently in patients with spinal cord injury (SCI). Impaired cough leads to ineffective clearance of secretions. If the secretions cannot be cleared and become thick and purulent, atelectasis may occur. Recombinant human DNase (rhDNase) has been shown to decrease purulent sputum viscosity in vitro. We report two SCI patients with respiratory failure due to recurrent atelectasis from purulent secretions in whom conventional treatment methods had failed. Administration of rhDNase resulted in successful resolution of atelectasis. These results suggest the need for a controlled clinical trial.

Deoxyribonucleases↗

Post-extubation atelectasis in ventilated newborn infants.

Post-extubation atelectasis (PEA) constitutes the commonest cause of lung collapse in ventilated neonates. The clinical and radiological features of 47 ventilated infants who developed PEA within 24 h of extubation are reported. Three main radiographic patterns of atelectasis were identified: (1) transient unilobar collapse resolving within 12 h of extubation (19 cases), (2) multilobar atelectasis developing over a 48-h period (18 cases), and (3) progressive atelectasis resulting in complete collapse of a whole lung. A similar number of ventilated infants without PEA served as controls. We found a significant association between the incidence of PEA and multiple intubation (P < 0.02), presence of patent ductus arteriosus (P < 0.001) and neonatal sepsis (P < 0.05). Prophylactic physiotherapy is recommended for ventilated infants, particularly those with the above risk factors.

Case-Control Studies↗