Collagen Vascular
Diseases
Collagen Vascular
Diseases
Collagen Vascular Diseases
Rheumatoid lung
Scleroderma
Lupus
Polyarteritis
Dermatomyositis/polymyositis
Goodpasture’s syndrome
Collagen Vascular Diseases
Common denominator is fibrinoid
necrosis of connective tissue
Thoracic structures involved about 2/3
of all cases
All are immunologically-mediated
Rheumatoid Lung
Rheumatoid Lung
Extra-articular manifestations more
common in males
Disease more common in females
Clinically
Shortness of breath most common
Subcutaneous rheumatoid nodules often
present
PFTs show restrictive disease
Rheumatoid Lung
General
Most patients with pulmonary evidence
of RA have
Clinical evidence of the disease
Severe arthritic disease
Circulating antibody
Largely IgM in patients with RA
Usually high titers of
Rheumatoid factor
Anti-nuclear antibodies
LE prep frequently positive
Rheumatoid Lung
Pleural effusion
Pulmonary fibrosis
Necrobiotic nodules
Caplan’s Syndrome
Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension
Obliterative Bronchiolitis
Rheumatoid Lung
Six
manifestations
Most common manifestation of RA in
chest
Exudate
Very low sugar content (< 30 mg/100 ml)
Does not rise with IV administration of
glucose
Low-sugar effusion in TB rises with IV
glucose
Rheumatoid Lung
Pleural Effusion
Pleural fluid in RA
Low sugar
High in LDH
Rich in lymphocytes
Positive for Rheumatoid Factor
Contains low complement levels
Low pH
Pleural Effusion
Characteristics
Effusion may remain unchanged for
months or years
Most are unilateral
Slightly more on right
Effusion almost never associated with
parenchymal disease
Pleural Effusion
Characteristics
Rheumatoid Effusion
Type III immune rx (Arthus rx-IgG or IgM)
Begins micronodular or coarse reticulation
More prominent at bases
Indistinguishable from scleroderma
Honeycomb appearance
Thickened interlobular septa
Irregular pleural surfaces
Rheumatoid Lung
Pulmonary Fibrosis
Pulmonary Fibrosis in Rheumatoid Lung
Coarse reticular
Pulmonary Fibrosis in Rheumatoid Lung
Honeycomb
CT of Pulmonary Fibrosis in Rheumatoid Lung
Reticular
opacities in
subpleural
zones
Thickened
interlobular
septa
Irregular
pleural
surfaces
Bibasilar Interstitial Disease
B
ronchiectasis
A
spiration
D
IP
A
sbestosis
S
arcoidosis
S
cleroderma
Pulmonary Fibrosis in Rheumatoid Lung
Relatively rare
Usually occur with subcutaneous nodules
Pathologically identical to them
Usually well-circumscribed masses
Typically multiple
Subpleural in location with cavitation
Frequently at bases
Rheumatoid Lung
Necrobiotic Nodules
Rheumatoid Nodule
Rheumatoid Nodule
R3
Rheumatoid Nodules
Necrobiotic nodules with silicosis
Roentgenographically identical to
rheumatoid nodules in RA
Pathologically, only difference is ring
of dust in nodule which produces
darkened ring around central core
Rheumatoid Lung
Caplan’s Syndrome
Caplan’s Syndrome
Rheumatoid nodules and silicosis
Most often 2
° pulmonary fibrosis
May be due to an arteritis
PAH and
eventual cor pulmonale
Findings are enlarged main, right and
left pulmonary arteries
Rheumatoid Lung
Pulmonary Hypertension
R3
PAH 2
° Rheumatoid Lung
Same as BOOP except patients have RA
Rheumatoid Lung
BOOP
Scleroderma
Scleroderma
Progressive Systemic Sclerosis
90% of patients with disease have lung
disease
About 25% have abnormal chest x-rays
3:1 female to male ratio
Rheumatoid factor found in 35%
Increased incidence of lung cancer
Bronchoalveolar cell
Scleroderma
3+ Thoracic Manifestations
Interstitial fibrosis
Pulmonary vascular disease (PAH)
Pleural changes (uncommon)
Recurrent aspiration
Calcinosis
Air esophagram
Air in dilated esophagus without fluid
Scleroderma
X-ray Findings
Diffuse reticular interstitial disease
Primarily at bases
Fine
coarse reticulation
Honeycombing
Alveolar infiltrates 2° aspiration
From disturbed esophageal motility
Scleroderma-Coarse with Honeycombing
Scleroderma
X-ray Findings
Progressive volume loss
Unlike other causes of diffuse fibrosis
except
Hamman-Rich
Pleural disease rare
Unlike RA and lupus
Scleroderma
Other Organs
GI tract
Esophageal dilatation
Small bowel dilatation
Pseudosacculations in colon
Resorption of terminal phalanges
Calcinosis circumscripta
CREST Syndrome
Benign variant of scleroderma
C
alcinosis
R
aynaud’s
E
sophageal dysmotility
S
clerodactyly
T
elangiectasia
Lupus Erythematosis
Systemic Lupus Erythematosus
Lungs and pleura involved more often in
lupus than other collagen vascular
diseases
Prototype disease for Type III immune
reaction (Arthus rx)
Lupus
Clinical
Much more common in young women
Anti-nuclear antibody present in 87%
LE cells in 78%
Rheumatoid factor in 21%
False + test for syphilis in 24%
Lupus
Clinical
Painful pleuritis with fever
Skin changes include
Butterfly rash
Alopecia
Photosensitivity
Raynaud's
Sjogren’s syndrome frequent
Lupus
6 Manifestations
Pleural effusions
Discoid atelectasis at both bases
Fleeting patchy infiltrates
Pericardial effusions
Lupus pneumonitis
Sluggish diaphragm
Not diffuse interstitial lung disease
SLE
Pleural Effusions
Most common thoracic manifestation
Usually bilateral and small
If unilateral, more often on left
Exudates with
High protein
Normal glucose
SLE with bilateral effusions
SLE with bilateral effusions
SLE with unilateral left effusion
SLE
Discoid Atelectasis
Horizontal lines
Basilar
Migratory and fleeting
Often associated with pleural effusion
R3
SLE with SSA
SLE
Patchy Infiltrates
Usually at bases
Usually peripheral
Acute and fleeting
Small areas of pneumonitis
Cause unknown
R3
SLE with patchy RLL infiltrate
SLE
Polyserositis
May have both pericardial and pleural
effusions
Usually small
R3
SLE with Pericardial and Pleural Effusion
SLE
Lupus Pneumonitis
Uncommon
2° vasculitis and hemorrhage
Severe dyspnea, fever and hypoxia
Responds to steroids or cytotoxic agents
Lupus Pneumonitis
SLE
Sluggish Diaphragm
Diffuse myopathy of diaphragmatic
muscles
Elevated hemidiaphragms
Loss of lung volume
Sluggish movement on fluoroscopy
Drug-induced Lupus
Hydralazine
Pronestyl (procainamide)
Dilantin
INH
Account for 90% of cases of drug-
induced lupus
Drug-induced Lupus
Pleuroparenchymal changes more
common than SLE
Does not involve kidney
More benign course
Disappears if drug is stopped
Polyarteritis Nodosa
Polyarteritis Nodosa
Affects small and medium-sized artery
walls with necrotizing granulomas in all
wall layers
Polyarteritis Nodosa
General
More common in adult males
Associated with hepatitis B antigen
Systemic hypertension common
Has much in common with Wegener's
granulomatosis
Polyarteritis Nodosa
Findings
Findings variable & rarely characteristic
enough to allow diagnosis
Most characteristic pattern is fleeting,
patchy consolidation identical to
Loeffler’s
Polyarteritis Nodosa
X-ray manifestations
Fleeting patchy infiltrates
Pericardial effusion
Pleural effusion
Discoid atelectasis
Nodules
11/14
11/28
Polyarteritis nodosa with fleeting infiltrate
and nodules
11/28
12/22
Polyarteritis nodosa with fleeting infiltrate
and nodules
Polyarteritis Nodosa
Findings
Angiographic demonstration of multiple
aneurysms in one or more abdominal
organs - especially the kidney - is
diagnostic of disease
Kidney
Liver
Dermatomyositis
Polymyositis
Dermatomyositis
Weakness and pain in proximal limb
muscles
Violaceus rash
Sometimes neoplasms
Much more common in women
Two peaks: 1
st
then 5
th
decades
Unlike others, no circulating immune
complexes
Chronic interstitial pneumonia
Aspiration pneumonia 2° esophageal
dysmotility
Pneumonia 2° chest-wall involvement
Dermatomyositis
3 manifestations
Diffuse reticular opacities
Primarily at bases
Aspiration pneumonia
Calcinosis universalis
More often in children
Dermatomyositis
X-ray manifestations
Ankylosing Spondylitis
Upper lobe fibrotic and bullous disease
Goodpasture’s
Syndrome
Idiopathic Pulmonary Hemorrhage
Goodpasture’s Syndrome
Both characterized by repeated
episodes of pulmonary hemorrhage
Both produce iron-deficiency anemia
Both can produce pulmonary
insufficiency
Pathology
Hemorrhage typically confined to
peripheral airspaces
Diffuse interstitial fibrosis, hemosiderosis
common
Vasculitis not always present even though
these are autoimmune diseases
Idiopathic Pulmonary Hemorrhage
Goodpasture’s Syndrome
Prognosis for both diseases grave –
both treated with steroids and
cytotoxic agents
Goodpasture’s syndrome
Disease of young adults
Most are men
Goodpasture’s includes renal disease
Renal lesion=glomerulonephritis
Autoimmune etiology
Both lung and renal pathology believed 2°
to anti-glomerular basement membrane
antibody cross reacting with lung basement
membrane
Goodpasture’s syndrome
Natural History
Early disease alveolar in nature
More prominent at the bases and perihilar
regions — simulates pulmonary edema
Within 2-3 days, blood absorbed into
interstitium
Pattern changes to reticular interstitial
Goodpasture’s syndrome
Natural History
By about 10 days, reticular disease
disappears
With repeated bleeds, there is
hemosiderin deposit in the lungs and
progressive pulmonary fibrosis occurs
Goodpasture’s syndrome
Natural History
Once this occurs, new hemorrhage
superimposed on old interstitial
disease
Reticular pattern remains rather than
disappears when blood is absorbed
Goodpasture’s Syndrome
Acute hemorrhage
Goodpasture’s Syndrome
Rapid clearing
Goodpasture’s syndrome
Other Findings
May have pulmonary hypertension
May have hilar adenopathy
Take Home Points
Rheumatoid Lung
Pleural effusions
Pulmonary fibrosis
Necrobiotic nodules
Low sugar
Clinical disease present
Eroded clavicles
Scleroderma
Interstitial fibrosis
No pleural disease
Aspiration pneumonia
Air esophagram
Alveolar cell ca
Lupus
Pleural effusions
Discoid atelectasis
Patchy infiltrates at the
bases
No diffuse interstitial lung
dz
Drug-induced more
common and benign
Polyarteritis
Fleeting patchy
infiltrates
Aneurysms of small
vessels of kidney and
liver
Dermatomyositis
Calcinosis universalis
Interstitial lung dz
Aspiration pneumonia
Higher incidence of
colorectal ca
Goodpasture’s
Repeated
hemorrhages into lung
Lead to pulmonary
fibrosis
Glomerulonephritis
The End