Two Cases of Acute Interstitial Pneumonia During the Second Trimester of Pregnancy

Kil, Ki Cheol; Lee, Gui Se Ra; Lee, Se Yeon; Choi, Jung Soo; Yu, Hee Jung; Kwon, Dong Jin; Shin, Jong Chul

Abstract

We present two cases of acute interstitial pneumonia (AIP) during the second trimester of pregnancy managed by mechanical ventilation, high dose corticosteroids. We described clinical course, laboratory data and imaging studies. Case 1) A 29-year-old woman, G1P1, was referred for aggravated continuous coughing, sputum and dyspnea, pleuritic chest pain and mild fever for 3 weeks at 24(+3) weeks of gestation. There were coarse breathing sounds with crackles on the both lung field. Her chest X-ray showed diffuse haziness in both lungs with suspicious nodular opacities and suggested pneumonia. HRCT showed diffuse ground glass opacities with interstitial thickening and suspicious fine nodular infiltration in both lungs suggesting acute interstitial pneumonia combined with ARDS. Because her symptoms were more aggravated, she was performed mechanical ventilation treatment. After that, she was performed cesarean hysterotomy and delivered a dead male 850grams. After her symptoms were much more improved. All antibiotics were stopped and reduced the doses of steroids, she was discharged with t-tube capped state. Case 2) A 33-year-old woman, G1P1, was referred for continuous coughing, sputum and dyspnea for 3 months and low abdominal discomfort at 24(+4) weeks of gestation. There were coarse breathing sounds with rales on the both lung field. Her chest X-ray showed diffuse haziness in both lungs with suspicious nodular opacities and suggested interstitial pneumonia. HRCT showed diffuse ground glass opacities with some intralobular and interlobular interstitial thickening and suspicious fine nodular infiltration in both lungs suggesting acute interstitial pneumonia or miliary TBc combined with ARDS. She was treated with antibiotics, oxygen, high dose corticosteroids, and tocolytics. There was no evidence of TBc in the bronchoscopy. She showed decreased mentality and decreased O2 saturation below 90% in spite of mechanical ventilation, high dose steroids and IVGV therapy. She delivered a boy of 870 g (Apgar score 1/5). After delivery, she was expired due to combined aggravating DIC. Her baby was expired at the next day, too. The outcome of AIP is fatal, reporting 59~100% mortality rate. The clinical course, laboratory data and treatment are not well established due to rarity of this disease entity. Chest X-ray and HRCT may be helpful in diagnosis and high dose steroid and immunosuppressive agents usually used but the efficacy is not guaranteed.