Spontaneous pneumothorax developed in patients with bronchiolitis obliterans after unrelated hematopoietic stem cell transplantation: case report and review of the literature

Int J Hematol. 2004 Apr;79(3):298-302. doi: 10.1532/ijh97.a10302.

Abstract

Spontaneous pneumothorax following unrelated hematopoietic stem cell transplantation developed in our 2 patients with bronchiolitis obliterans. Bronchiolitis obliterans is a form of obstructive airway disease and is considered a manifestation of chronic graft-versus-host disease (GVHD). Both of the patients were the recipients of marrow from HLA-matched unrelated donors after a preparative regimen with total body irradiation. Chronic GVHD after transplantation is a common feature in these cases. In contrast to other patients with pneumothorax described in the literature, our patients did not develop bullae. We describe a pneumothorax secondary to bronchiolitis obliterans that complicated the posttransplantation course.

Publication types

  • Case Reports
  • Review

MeSH terms

  • Adult
  • Bronchiolitis Obliterans / complications*
  • Bronchiolitis Obliterans / etiology
  • Graft vs Host Disease
  • Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation / adverse effects*
  • Humans
  • Male
  • Pneumothorax / diagnosis
  • Pneumothorax / etiology*
  • Pneumothorax / pathology
  • Transplantation Conditioning / methods
  • Transplantation, Homologous
  • Whole-Body Irradiation