A4-year old boy with D-transposition of the great arteries, pulmonary atresia with intact ventricular septum, and a hypoplastic left ventricle with mitral atresia underwent a Fontan operation. He had previously been treated with neonatal balloon atrial septostomy followed by a left modified Blalock-Taussig shunt and, at the age of 2 years, a Hemi-Fontan operation was performed. The Fontan opera...

RATIONALE Sulfur mustard (SM) is a frequently used chemical warfare agent, even in modern history. SM inhalation causes significant respiratory tract injury, with early complications due to airway obstructive bronchial casts, akin to those seen after smoke inhalation and in single-ventricle physiology. This process with SM is poorly understood because animal models are unavailable. OBJECTIVES...

Plastic bronchitis is a rare disorder characterized by formation of large, branching bronchial casts, which are often expectorated. We present an interesting case of a 35-year-old woman who presented for evaluation of a chronic cough productive of voluminous secretions. Clinical and radiological examination confirmed a total left lung atelectasis without any pathological mediastinal node. Flexi...

Chyloptysis is a rare clinical problem that is associated with conditions affecting lymphatic channels in the thorax. Diagnosis is usually made when the patients present with expectoration of milky-white sputum or of thick tenacious mucus in the shape of smaller bronchi (bronchial cast). Typically the symptoms resolve after coughing up of the bronchial casts. Pleural, mediastinal, pulmonary or ...

can produce similar airway cast formation in humans; severe respiratory distress refl ects extensive obstruction of the respiratory system. Healthcare providers should be aware of the possibility of bronchial casts when examining children with infl uenza (H1N1) infection accompanied by atelectasis. Steroids can be administered early in infection to avoid cast formation, and antiviral drug thera...

OBJECTIVE To characterize structural changes in pulmonary vessels of dogs with dirofilariosis. ANIMALS 8 dogs with dirofilariosis and 2 unaffected control dogs. PROCEDURE Pulmonary artery pressure was measured in affected dogs, and dogs then were euthanatized. Scanning electron microscopy was used to examine vascular corrosion casts of pulmonary vasculature. Tissue sections of pulmonary vas...