Cryptogenic organizing pneumonia due to amiodarone: long-term follow-up after corticosteroid treatment

Abstract

Cryptogenic organizing pneumonia (formerly known as bronchiolitis obliterans organizing pneumonia) is a clinicopathological entity with characteristical radiographic findings such as bilateral, asymmetrical, sometimes migrating, patchy infiltrates in chest radiograph and ground-glass opacities in computed tomography. The disease has been observed in the context of gastrointestinal disorders, certain lung infections, autoimmune-mediated diseases (such as Wegener granulomatosis), inhalation of toxic fumes, bone marrow transplantation and administration of drugs. The benzofuran amiodarone, a commonly used antiarrythmic drug for atrial fibrillation, can exhibit several pulmonary adverse effects, amongst them cryptogenic organizing pneumonia as a rarely diagnosed and published one. We report a case of cryptogenic organizing pneumonia secondary to amiodarone treatment, its clinical course with significant improvement of clinical symptoms within a few days after discontinuation of amiodarone treatment and administration of corticosteroids. Also the infiltrations found in chest X-ray and computed tomography responded well and showed remarkable resolution tendency quickly. During 5 months of corticoid therapy pulmonary abnormalities gradually resolved almost completely and remained equal during the 8 months follow-up after corticoid termination.