Abstract
Pulmonary alveolar phospholipoproteinosis is a rare lung disease of unknown cause characterized by surfactant plugging of the alveoli. At the present time, surgical lung biopsy, long considered as the gold standard, is not necessary for positive diagnosis of pulmonary alveolar phospholipoproteinosis when computed tomography anomalies and analysis of bronchial lavage fluids present a typical pattern. Treatment requires abundant lavage, but the demonstration of anti-GM-CSF antibodies in primary forms opens new therapeutic perspectives.
MeSH terms
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Antibodies / therapeutic use
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Bronchoalveolar Lavage
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Granulocyte-Macrophage Colony-Stimulating Factor / immunology
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Humans
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Lipoproteins / metabolism*
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Phospholipids / metabolism*
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Pulmonary Alveolar Proteinosis / diagnosis*
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Pulmonary Alveolar Proteinosis / diagnostic imaging
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Pulmonary Alveolar Proteinosis / metabolism
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Pulmonary Alveolar Proteinosis / therapy
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Pulmonary Surfactants / metabolism*
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Tomography, X-Ray Computed
Substances
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Antibodies
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Lipoproteins
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Phospholipids
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Pulmonary Surfactants
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Granulocyte-Macrophage Colony-Stimulating Factor