Acute Exacerbation of Rheumatoid Arthritis-Associated Interstitial Lung Disease After Thoracic Surgery in the Absence of Usual Interstitial Pneumonia Pattern on CT

Tatsuya Kida; Yutaka Usuda; Teisei Kobashi; Masakazu Sumitomo

doi:10.7759/cureus.41155

Acute Exacerbation of Rheumatoid Arthritis-Associated Interstitial Lung Disease After Thoracic Surgery in the Absence of Usual Interstitial Pneumonia Pattern on CT

Cureus. 2023 Jun 29;15(6):e41155. doi: 10.7759/cureus.41155. eCollection 2023 Jun.

Authors

Tatsuya Kida¹, Yutaka Usuda², Teisei Kobashi¹, Masakazu Sumitomo¹

Affiliations

¹ Anesthesiology, Yokosuka Kyōsai Hospital, Yokosuka, JPN.
² Intensive Care Unit, Yokosuka Kyōsai Hospital, Yokosuka, JPN.

Abstract

The usual interstitial pneumonia (UIP) pattern observed on chest computed tomography (CT) is considered a risk factor for the development of postoperative acute exacerbation in interstitial lung disease (ILD). However, the risk factors for acute exacerbation in patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA)-associated ILD have not been adequately investigated. We present a case of postoperative acute exacerbation after thoracic surgery in a 73-year-old man with RA-ILD and non-UIP pattern on chest CT. This case report emphasizes that postoperative acute exacerbation can develop even in the absence of a radiological UIP pattern.

Keywords: acute exacerbation; interstitial lung disease; lung surgery; rheumatoid arthritis; usual interstitial pneumonia pattern.

Publication types

Case Reports