Case of cryptogenic organizing pneumonia

Cryptogenic organizing pneumonia is a diffuse lung disease characterized by excessive proliferation of granulomatous tissue in the small bronchi and alveoli and moderate interstitial inflammation. The diagnosis requires a multidisciplinary approach involving a pulmonologist, a radiologist and, in some cases, a morphologist. In most patients, cryptogenic organizing pneumonia is diagnosed on the basis of clinical symptoms, typical findings in computed tomography and cytology of the bronchoalveolar lavage fluid, after excluding the known causes of organizing pneumonia. Secondary confirmation of the diagnosis is a pronounced positive response to glucocorticosteroid therapy. The article presents a clinical case of a 58-year-old patient with progressive dyspnea and infiltrates in the lungs, which were initially interpreted as a manifestation of bilateral pneumonia. High-resolution computed tomography of the chest organs revealed a characteristic picture of "organizing pneumonia". Clinical and radiological changes regressed after glucocorticosteroid therapy.

cryptogenic organizing pneumonia, "organizing pneumonia" pattern, interstitial lung diseases, differential diagnosis of dyspnea, differential diagnosis of community-acquired pneumonia