Twenty-Five-Year Follow-up of a Patient Treated with Lung Lavage for Pulmonary Alveolar Proteinosis

To the Editor: In the January 24, 1963, issue of the Journal, Ramirez-Rivera and colleagues described two patients treated with segmental lung lavage for pulmonary alveolar proteinosis.* We now report the 25-year follow-up data on one of the two patients described in that article. The patient initially presented on November 18, 1960, with a six-month history of dyspnea on exertion, fatigue, and weight loss. A chest radiograph showed diffuse alveolar infiltrates. An open-lung biopsy done on December 8, 1960, confirmed the diagnosis of pulmonary alveolar proteinosis. Over the next year, the patient's treatment included oral potassium iodide solution, aerosolized. No extract is available for articles shorter than 400 words.