Mediastinal lymphadenopathy in cryptogenic fibrosing alveolitis: the effect of steroid therapy on the prevalence of nodal enlargement

Abstract

Purpose: To determine the prevalence of enlarged mediastinal lymph nodes in cryptogenic fibrosing alveolitis (CFA) and to assess whether this frequency was related to steroid administration.

Material and methods: Retrospective review of chest radiographs and high-resolution computed tomography (CT) of 54 patients with proven cryptogenic fibrosing alveolitis (CFA). Twenty-two of the 54 patients received oral steroids up to 2 months before the time of high-resolution CT examination (group 1); the remaining 32 patients had not taken steroids for at least 6 months before study entry (group 2). The prevalence, distribution, and size of enlarged mediastinal lymph nodes was determined in all groups. The diagnosis of CFA was histologically established in 44 patients. In 10 patients the diagnosis of CFA was based on clinical and high-resolution CT findings.

Results: Mediastinal lymphadenopathy was present in 26 of 54 patients with CFA. The prevalence of enlarged nodes was 14% (three of 22) in patients who had received oral steroids up to 2 months before the time of CT examination, and 71% (23 of 32) in patients that had not taken steroids for at least 6 months before study entry.

Conclusion: We conclude that patients with CFA on steroid therapy had a significantly lower prevalence of mediastinal adenopathy (P < 0.001) than patients who had not taken steroids.