Early Lung Computed Tomography Scan after Allogeneic Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation.

A lung computed tomography (CT) scan is essential for diagnosing lung diseases in hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) recipients. As a result, lung CT scans are increasingly prescribed in the early phase after allogeneic HSCT, with no assessment of the added value for global patient management. Among 250 patients who underwent allogeneic HSCT in our center over a 2-year period, we evaluated 68 patients who had at least 1 lung CT scan within the first 30 days post-transplantation. The median interval between allogeneic HSCT and lung CT scan was 8.5 days. Patients who underwent an early lung CT scan were more immunocompromised and had a more severe course. Fever was the main indication for the CT scan (78%). The lung CT scan was abnormal in 52 patients, including 17 patients who had an abnormal pre-HSCT CT scan. A therapeutic change was noted in 37 patients (54%) within 24 hours after the lung CT scan. The main changes included the introduction of corticosteroids (n = 23; 62%), especially in patients with a normal CT scan (89%). In univariate models, we found that a normal pretransplantation CT scan (P = .002), the absence of either dyspnea (P = .029) or hypoxemia (P = .015), and a serum C-reactive protein level <10 mg/L (P = .004) were associated with a normal post-HSCT lung CT scan. We found that the association of these variables could predict the normality of early post-HSCT lung CT scans. Pretransplantation lung CT scans are useful for the interpretation of subsequent lung CT scans following allogeneic HSCT, which are frequently abnormal. Early post-HSCT lung CT scans are helpful in patient management, but prescriptions could be more targeted.

Single-centre experience of transbronchial cryobiopsy as a first choice method for the diagnosis of interstitial lung disease.

OBJECTIVES: The diagnosis of interstitial lung disease is based on clinical and biological analysis associated with computed tomography (CT) pattern after discussion in multidisciplinary discussion. Lung transbronchial cryobiopsy has emerged with acceptable diagnostic reliability and low morbidity and mortality. The goal of our work is to describe our experience with lung cryobiopsy. METHODS: This is monocentric and retrospective analysis of prospectively collected data on epidemiological, clinical, biological, CT, respiratory and histological features of patients with lung transbronchial cryobiopsy between January 1st, 2017, and July 1st, 2020. RESULTS: Lung transbronchial cryobiopsy has been done for 23 patients with sex ratio M/F of 1.1, majority of smoker/former smoker. Thirty-nine percent of procedures were complicated by pneumothorax. On the haemorrhagic level, we reported 1 grade 2 bleeding (no serious bleeding). An histological diagnosis was obtained for 19 patients (82%). Only 4 patients needed to discuss surgical lung biopsy: 2 (8.6%) surgical lung biopsy, 1 refused surgical lung biopsy and 1 patient lost to follow-up. CONCLUSION: Our results suggest that transbronchial lung cryobiopsy may be considered the first diagnostic modality instead of surgical lung biopsy for interstitial lung disease in appropriate patients. Larger studies are, however, needed to confirm our observations.