eMedicine Specialties > Pulmonology > Idiopathic Lung Disorders

Lymphangioleiomyomatosis: Follow-up

Author: Joel Moss, MD, PhD, Deputy Chief, Translational Medicine Branch, National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute, National Institutes of Health
Coauthor(s): John A Kelly, MB, BCh, MD, Assistant Professor of Medicine and Micro-Immunology, Dartmouth Medical School; Staff Pulmonologist, White River Junction Veterans Affairs Medical Center
Contributor Information and Disclosures

Updated: Nov 19, 2008

Follow-up

Complications

Lymphangioleiomyomatosis (LAM) complications include the following:

  • Pneumothorax
  • Hemoptysis
  • Chylothorax
  • Ascites
  • Chyloptysis
  • Chyluria
  • Pericardial effusion
  • Pneumoperitoneum
  • Acute abdomen
  • Lymphedema
  • Respiratory failure

Prognosis

  • As many as 78% of patients are alive at 8.5 years after the disease onset. Poor prognostic factors are as follows5 :
    • Reduced forced expiratory volume in 1 second and/or diffusing capacity for carbon monoxide
    • Increased TLC
    • Histologically, a poor LAM histology score, which quantifies the involvement of the lung with both LAM cells and cysts

Patient Education

  • Inform patients about their disease because education is an important issue in this condition. An excellent resource is the LAM Foundation.

Miscellaneous

Medicolegal Pitfalls

  • Failure to diagnose LAM
  • Failure to consider LAM in women of childbearing years who present with recurrent pneumothoraces, unexplained dyspnea, or chylous effusion
  • Failure to look for LAM in patients with TSC or AML of the kidneys
 
Acknowledgments

This work was supported in part by the Division of Intramural Research, National Institutes of Health, National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute.



More on Lymphangioleiomyomatosis

Overview: Lymphangioleiomyomatosis
Differential Diagnoses & Workup: Lymphangioleiomyomatosis
Treatment & Medication: Lymphangioleiomyomatosis
Follow-up: Lymphangioleiomyomatosis
References

References

  1. Carsillo T, Astrinidis A, Henske EP. Mutations in the tuberous sclerosis complex gene TSC2 are a cause of sporadic pulmonary lymphangioleiomyomatosis. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. May 23 2000;97(11):6085-90. [Medline].

  2. Smolarek TA, Wessner LL, McCormack FX, Mylet JC, Menon AG, Henske EP. Evidence that lymphangiomyomatosis is caused by TSC2 mutations: chromosome 16p13 loss of heterozygosity in angiomyolipomas and lymph nodes from women with lymphangiomyomatosis. Am J Hum Genet. Apr 1998;62(4):810-5. [Medline].

  3. Bonetti F, Chiodera PL, Pea M, Martignoni G, Bosi F, Zamboni G, et al. Transbronchial biopsy in lymphangiomyomatosis of the lung. HMB45 for diagnosis. Am J Surg Pathol. Nov 1993;17(11):1092-102. [Medline].

  4. Boehler A, Speich R, Russi EW, Weder W. Lung transplantation for lymphangioleiomyomatosis. N Engl J Med. Oct 24 1996;335(17):1275-80. [Medline].

  5. Kitaichi M, Nishimura K, Itoh H, Izumi T. Pulmonary lymphangioleiomyomatosis: a report of 46 patients including a clinicopathologic study of prognostic factors. Am J Respir Crit Care Med. Feb 1995;151(2 Pt 1):527-33. [Medline].

  6. Adema GJ, de Boer AJ, Vogel AM, Loenen WA, Figdor CG. Molecular characterization of the melanocyte lineage-specific antigen gp100. J Biol Chem. Aug 5 1994;269(31):20126-33. [Medline].

  7. Bonetti F, Pea M, Martignoni G, Zamboni G, Iuzzolino P. Cellular heterogeneity in lymphangiomyomatosis of the lung. Hum Pathol. Jul 1991;22(7):727-8. [Medline].

  8. Corrin B, Liebow AA, Friedman PJ. Pulmonary lymphangiomyomatosis. A review. Am J Pathol. May 1975;79(2):348-82. [Medline].

  9. Eliasson AH, Phillips YY, Tenholder MF. Treatment of lymphangioleiomyomatosis. A meta-analysis. Chest. Dec 1989;96(6):1352-5. [Medline].

  10. Kalassian KG, Doyle R, Kao P, Ruoss S, Raffin TA. Lymphangioleiomyomatosis: new insights. Am J Respir Crit Care Med. Apr 1997;155(4):1183-6. [Medline].

  11. Moss J. LAM and Other Diseases Characterized by Smooth Muscle Proliferation. ed. New York, NY: Marcel Decker; 1999.

  12. Moss J, DeCastro R, Patronas NJ, Taveira-DaSilva A. Meningiomas in lymphangioleiomyomatosis. JAMA. Oct 17 2001;286(15):1879-81. [Medline].

  13. Ryu JH, Moss J, Beck GJ, Lee JC, Brown KK, Chapman JT, et al. The NHLBI lymphangioleiomyomatosis registry: characteristics of 230 patients at enrollment. Am J Respir Crit Care Med. Jan 1 2006;173(1):105-11. [Medline].

  14. Steagall WK, Glasgow CG, Hathaway OM, Avila NA, Taveira-Dasilva AM, Rabel A, et al. Genetic and Morphologic Determinants of Pneumothorax in Lymphangioleiomyomatosis. Am J Physiol Lung Cell Mol Physiol. Jul 6 2007;[Medline].

  15. Steagall WK, Taveira-DaSilva AM, Moss J. Clinical and molecular insights into lymphangioleiomyomatosis. Sarcoidosis Vasc Diffuse Lung Dis. Dec 2005;22 Suppl 1:S49-66. [Medline].

  16. Taveira-DaSilva AM, Stylianou MP, Hedin CJ, Hathaway O, Moss J. Decline in lung function in patients with lymphangioleiomyomatosis treated with or without progesterone. Chest. Dec 2004;126(6):1867-74. [Medline].

  17. Taylor JR, Ryu J, Colby TV, Raffin TA. Lymphangioleiomyomatosis. Clinical course in 32 patients. N Engl J Med. Nov 1 1990;323(18):1254-60. [Medline].

  18. Urban T, Kuttenn F, Gompel A, Marsac J, Lacronique J. Pulmonary lymphangiomyomatosis. Follow-up and long-term outcome with antiestrogen therapy; a report of eight cases. Chest. Aug 1992;102(2):472-6. [Medline].

Further Reading

Keywords

LAM, progressive pulmonary dysfunction, abdominal tumors, angiomyolipomas, AML, abdominal mass, tuberous sclerosis, TSC, pulmonary disease, pneumothorax, lung disease, lung transplantation, lymphangioleiomyomatosis, LAM cell, lung cysts

Contributor Information and Disclosures

Author

Joel Moss, MD, PhD, Deputy Chief, Translational Medicine Branch, National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute, National Institutes of Health
Joel Moss, MD, PhD is a member of the following medical societies: Alpha Omega Alpha, American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, American Society for Clinical Investigation, American Thoracic Society, Association of American Physicians, and Phi Beta Kappa
Disclosure: Nothing to disclose.

Coauthor(s)

John A Kelly, MB, BCh, MD, Assistant Professor of Medicine and Micro-Immunology, Dartmouth Medical School; Staff Pulmonologist, White River Junction Veterans Affairs Medical Center
John A Kelly, MB, BCh, MD is a member of the following medical societies: American Association of Immunologists, American College of Chest Physicians, and American Thoracic Society
Disclosure: Nothing to disclose.

Medical Editor

Ryland P Byrd Jr, MD, Professor, Department of Internal Medicine, Division of Pulmonary Medicine and Critical Care Medicine, James H Quillen College of Medicine, East Tennessee State University; Chief of Pulmonary Medicine, Medical Director of Respiratory Therapy, Intensive Care Unit, Program Director of Pulmonary Diseases and Critical Care Medicine Fellowship, James H Quillen Veterans Affairs Medical Center
Ryland P Byrd Jr, MD is a member of the following medical societies: American College of Chest Physicians, American Thoracic Society, and Southern Medical Association
Disclosure: Nothing to disclose.

Pharmacy Editor

Francisco Talavera, PharmD, PhD, Senior Pharmacy Editor, eMedicine
Disclosure: Nothing to disclose.

Managing Editor

Harold L Manning, MD, Associate Professor, Departments of Medicine, Anesthesiology and Physiology, Section of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine, Dartmouth Medical School
Harold L Manning, MD is a member of the following medical societies: American College of Chest Physicians, American College of Physicians, and American Thoracic Society
Disclosure: Nothing to disclose.

CME Editor

Timothy D Rice, MD, Associate Professor, Departments of Internal Medicine and Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine, Saint Louis University School of Medicine
Timothy D Rice, MD is a member of the following medical societies: American Academy of Pediatrics and American College of Physicians
Disclosure: Nothing to disclose.

Chief Editor

Zab Mosenifar, MD, Director, Division of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine, Director, Women's Guild Pulmonary Disease Institute, Executive Vice Chair, Department of Medicine, Cedars Sinai Medical Center; Professor of Medicine, David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA
Zab Mosenifar, MD is a member of the following medical societies: American College of Chest Physicians, American College of Physicians, American Federation for Medical Research, and American Thoracic Society
Disclosure: Nothing to disclose.

 
 
HONcode

We subscribe to the
HONcode principles of the
Health On the Net Foundation

All material on this website is protected by copyright, Copyright© 1994- by Medscape.
This website also contains material copyrighted by 3rd parties.

DISCLAIMER: The content of this Website is not influenced by sponsors. The site is designed primarily for use by qualified physicians and other medical professionals. The information contained herein should NOT be used as a substitute for the advice of an appropriately qualified and licensed physician or other health care provider. The information provided here is for educational and informational purposes only. In no way should it be considered as offering medical advice. Please check with a physician if you suspect you are ill.