Chest Imaging and Pathology for CliniciansA 40-Year-Old Woman With Multiple Pulmonary Nodules

A 40-year-old woman (a nonsmoker) with history of idiopathic thrombocytopenic purpura and a platelet count > 90,000 cells/μL without specific medication was referred to pulmonary clinic for evaluation of multiple pulmonary nodules. The patient presented to an outside hospital with fatigue, lack of energy, and dyspnea on exertion for 2 years. She denied fever, cough, chest pain, or weight loss. An initial chest radiograph showed bilateral multiple pulmonary nodules. A chest CT scan revealed multiple nodular lesions, varying in size, in all lobes of both lungs. There was no mediastinal lymphadenopathy or pleural effusion. There was no significant hypermetabolic activity on a subsequent fluorodeoxyglucose PET scan/CT scan, and there had been no significant change. She underwent CT scan-guided percutaneous transthoracic biopsy and bronchoscopy with transbronchial biopsies, all of which were inconclusive. An open lung biopsy was considered.