Clinical case of pulmonary alveolar proteinosis in a newborn

Abstract

Pulmonary alveolar proteinosis (PAP) is a rare disease characterized by the accumulation of protein-lipid complexes in the alveoli due to impaired utilization of surfactant by alveolar macrophages; it is most often idiopathic and occurs in healthy men and women aged 30–50 years. The congenital form of PAP is extremely rare, its diagnosis is complicated by the fact that it is impossible to conduct functional lung tests in newborns, and lung biopsy is used extremely rarely. Against this background, data obtained by computed tomography (CT) of the lungs of newborns are of particular importance. The article presents a clinical case of treatment of a newborn with respiratory failure (RF) and signs of pulmonary hypertension, who was admitted to the neonatal intensive care unit of the Children’s City Multidisciplinary Clinical Specialized Center for High Medical Technologies at the age of the first day of life. The article reflects the role of computed tomography in diagnosing the causes of respiratory failure in newborns, as well as the importance of anamnesis and a thorough clinical examination of patients. The presented clinical case demonstrates the need for a multidisciplinary approach to the diagnosis of newborns with pulmonary alveolar proteinosis.