Solitary Pure Ground-glass Opacity Suspected of Being the Initial Presentation of Nonfibrotic Hypersensitivity Pneumonitis

Intern Med. 2024 Sep 15;63(18):2543-2546. doi: 10.2169/internalmedicine.3030-23. Epub 2024 Feb 12.

Abstract

We herein report a rare case of hypersensitivity pneumonitis (HP) that was initially demonstrated as solitary pure ground-glass opacity (GGO) on chest computed tomography (CT). A 51-year-old woman with a history of breast cancer underwent follow-up CT, which revealed solitary pure GGO. The patient developed exertional dyspnea after two years, and CT revealed diffuse centrilobular nodules in addition to GGO, which had increased in size. An antigen avoidance test was performed to diagnose HP, leading to the resolution of CT abnormalities, including the GGO. Our findings suggested that nonfibrotic HP can present as solitary pure GGO.

Keywords: antigen avoidance; centrilobular nodule; ground-glass opacity; hypersensitivity pneumonitis.

Publication types

  • Case Reports

MeSH terms

  • Alveolitis, Extrinsic Allergic* / diagnosis
  • Alveolitis, Extrinsic Allergic* / diagnostic imaging
  • Diagnosis, Differential
  • Female
  • Humans
  • Lung / diagnostic imaging
  • Lung / pathology
  • Middle Aged
  • Tomography, X-Ray Computed*