Diffuse Interstitial Pulmonary Fibrosis Camouflaged by Hypermetabolism and Cardiac Failure: Antemortem Diagnosis With Biopsy and Catheterization Studies

ExcerptDiffuse interstitial fibrosis of the lungs, first described in 1944 by Hamman and Rich,1is a rare condition the diagnosis of which is established after death and only after careful microscopic studies.1-12It is the purpose of this report to present a case of diffuse interstitial fibrosis of the lungs that was correctly diagnosed before death by means of cardiac catheterization and lung biopsy studies. The report is of additional interest because of several unusual features. First, the patient demonstrated early in the course of the illness a hypermetabolic state that was erroneously interpreted and treated as hyperthyroidism. Later he...