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Periorbital infections lead to severe condition of the orbital abscess, and eventually to sight loss, and even death. Current study aims in reviewing the literature regarding orbital abscess in adult patients and presenting 2 original cases. A surgical intervention to drain the abscess and a revision of the orbital was required. A review of literature is also reported focusing on aetiology and treatment options dealing with an orbital abscess.

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BACKGROUND: Symptomatic radiation pneumonitis (RP) may be a serious complication after thoracic radiation therapy (RT) for non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). This prospective observational study sought to evaluate the utility of a novel radiation-induced lung injury (RILI) grading scale (RGS) for the prediction of RP. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Data of 41 patients with NSCLC treated with thoracic RT of 60-66 Gy were analysed. CT scans were scheduled before RT, one month post-RT, and every three months thereafter for one year. Symptomatic RP was defined as Common Terminology Criteria for Adverse Events grade ≥ 2. RGS grading ranged from 0 to 3. The inter-observer variability of the RGS was assessed by four senior radiologists. CT scans performed 28 ± 10 days after RT were used to analyse the predictive value of the RGS. The change in the RGS severity was correlated to dosimetric parameters. RESULTS: The CT obtained one month post-RT showed RILI in 36 (88%) of patients (RGS grade 0 [5 patients], 1 [25 patients], 2 [6 patients], and 3 [5 patients]). The inter-observer agreement of the RGS grading was high (Kendall's W coefficient of concordance = 0.80, p < 0.01). Patients with RGS grades 2-3 had a significantly higher risk for development of RP (relative risk (RR): 2.4, 95% CI 1.6-3.7, p < 0.01) and RP symptoms within 8 weeks after RT (RR: 4.8, 95% CI 1.3-17.6, p < 0.01) compared to RGS grades 0-1. The specificity and sensitivity of the RGS grades 2-3 in predicting symptomatic RP was 100% (95% CI 80.5-100%) and 45.4% (95% CI 24.4-67.8%), respectively. Increase in RGS severity correlated to mean lung dose and the percentage of the total lung volume receiving 5 Gy. CONCLUSIONS: The RGS is a simple radiologic tool associated with symptomatic RP. A validation study is warranted.

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A 39-year-old woman with known situs inversus and a medical history of asthma had been suffering from recurring bronchial pneumonias and sinusitis for as long as she could remember. After being treated several times with antibiotics due to the frequent respiratory infections and after a CT scan that showed bilateral bronchiectasis, she was referred to the department of respiratory diseases, where another confirming X-ray and a bronchoscopy were performed based on a suspicion of Kartagener's syndrome.

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Medical treatment of pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) is increasingly common. Prostacyclins were introduced in the early 90s, and treprostinil is one of the most frequently used drugs of this class today, owing to its long half-life and to the possibility to administer the molecule through several routes. Treprostinil is considered a safe drug and is associated with a significant improvement of exercise capacity, especially in patients with idiopathic PAH (iPAH). Systemic sclerosis-associated PAH (sc-PAH) correlates to a worse prognosis compared with that of iPAH. Despite these considerations, safety data on treprostinil are still limited and mainly derived from randomised controlled trials and retrospective studies with relatively small and heterogeneous cohorts of patients with PAH. We report the occurrence of a severe intra-abdominal bleeding during treprostinil infusion in a patient with sc-PAH.

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We describe the case of 24-years old man, smoking up to 60 cigarettes daily, with rapidly progressive crescentic glomerulonephritis in the course of Goodpasture's syndrome. The disease was initially presented with recurrent diffuse pulmonary hemorrhage with normal renal function and moderate proteinuria and haematuria on urinalysis lasting 2 months. Immunologic tests for ANCA and anti-GBM Ab were negative until the patient's renal function rapidly deteriorated during next 3 weeks. At the time of the diagnosis patient presented with renal insufficiency with oliguria requiring hemodialysis but without pulmonary hemorrhage. Renal biopsy showed cellular crescents in all glomeruli with linear deposition of IgG along the GBM. Repeated testing showed anti-GBM Ab. The patient received pulse cyclophosphamide, and pulse methylprednisolone continued by oral prednisone, and consecutive plasma exchange treatment but remained oliguric after 3 weeks of the treatment. The case confirm that in Goodpasture's syndrome even several days' delay in diagnosis and treatment has a strongly negative impact on outcome.

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UNLABELLED: Hypersensitivity pneumonitis (HP) is more common in middle-aged individuals but has been also diagnosed in patients of all ages including infants and children. Host risk factors are poorly characterized. The aim of this paper is presentation of 6 young patients in whom HP was diagnosed at the stage of lung fibrosis. There were 5 females at the age of 16-35 years and 1 male at the age of 28 years. All of them were exposed to organic dust for many years. Three of them were asthenic with scoliosis, 5 had clubbing. All patients were released from sport exercises in school due to fatigue but the diagnostic procedures were started at that time only in 2 patients. One woman had been ill from early childhood (recurrent pneumonia was recognised). In the another girl (16 years old) the spontaneous pneumothorax was the cause of the first chest X-ray examination. In the next woman (21 years old) marked dyspnea was connected with pregnancy and massive fibrotic lesions were recognised after delivery of her child. The only man was diagnosed before change of his job; he had no complaints. Two oldest women (34 and 35 years old) were diagnosed in childhood but avoidance of antigen exposure and corticotherapy were not effective. In all patients precipitins against farmer's lung and pigeon fancier's lung antigens were found. In all patients chest X-ray showed features of advanced lung fibrosis. All patients were treated with steroids without improvement. Two patients died during corticotherapy. CONCLUSIONS: 1) HP could be taken into consideration during differential diagnosis of interstitial lung diseases, 2) Cough and dyspnea on exertion could be the first symptoms of chronic HP in children also.

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