Korean J Fam Med.  2016 Jul;37(4):248-252. 10.4082/kjfm.2016.37.4.248.

Multiple Cavitary Pulmonary Nodules Caused by Mycobacterium intracellulare

• Yoo SH
• Kim SR
• Choi JY
• Choi JW
• Ko YM
• Jang SH
• Park JK
• Sung YG
• Park YJ
• Oh SY
• Bahk SY
• Lee JH
• Kim MS

• KMID: 2391715
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.4082/kjfm.2016.37.4.248

Abstract

Nontuberculous mycobacteria (NTM) have been increasingly recognized as an important cause of chronic pulmonary infections. The Mycobacterium avium complex (MAC), which is composed of two species, Mycobacterium avium and Mycobacterium intracelluare, is the most commonly encountered pathogen associated with NTM lung disease. MAC pulmonary infection typically presents in a fibrocavitary form or a nodular bronchiectatic form. However, there have been atypical presentations of MAC pulmonary infections, including solitary pulmonary nodules (SPN). There have been several previous reports of SPN due to MAC infection in the United States, Japan, and Korea. In 2009, Sekine and colleagues reported a case of MAC pulmonary infection presenting with multiple nodules. To date, however, there have been no cases of NTM lung infection with multiple cavitary pulmonary nodules, and neither a fibrotic change nor nodular bronchiectasis. The present case showed a multiple cavitating nodular lung infection due to MAC, which is very rare and different from the typical presentation of MAC pulmonary infections. We also showed that percutaneous transthoracic needle aspiration can be a useful diagnostic tool to evaluate a case of multiple cavitary nodules.

Keyword

Mycobacterium avium Complex; Multiple Cavitary Pulmonary Nodule; Percutaneous Transthoracic Needle Aspiration

MeSH Terms

Bronchiectasis
Japan
Korea
Lung
Lung Diseases
Mycobacterium avium
Mycobacterium avium Complex*
Mycobacterium*
Needles
Nontuberculous Mycobacteria
Solitary Pulmonary Nodule
United States