CASE REPORTS
Lengthy Diagnostic Challenge in a Rare Case of Pulmonary Veno-Occlusive Disease: Case Report and Review of the Literature
2011 Volume 50 Issue 12 Pages 1323-1327
Details
2011 Volume 50 Issue 12 Pages 1323-1327
Pulmonary veno-occlusive disease (PVOD) is a rare and usually survival poor disorder. We report a patient with a long history of progressive dyspnea of over 8 years, who with a diagnosis of chronic cor pulmonale confirmed elsewhere, was ultimately diagnosed as PVOD via histological analysis of a lung biopsy. After treatment with combined bosentan, diuretics and digoxin, his symptoms and function improved. This case highlights that PVOD is an under-recognised and often misdiagnosed disease, especially in its chronic form. Understanding its pathogenesis, its poor response to medical therapy and its dismal prognosis remain challenges for the treatment of PVOD.
