A Case of Pulmonary Alveolar Proteinosis with Spontaneous Resolution

Pulmonary alveolar proteinosis is a rare disorder that is characterized by the abundant accumulation of surfactant-derived material within the alveolar spaces and distal bronchioles. Although the findings of homogenous ground-glass opacities overlaid by thickened septa, which form a " crazy paving" pattern on high-resolution computed tomography, can assist in making a diagnosis, a lung biopsy is usually required. This disorder has a variable clinical course, from spontaneous resolution to respiratory failure and death. While a whole lung lavage has been the standard treatment since the early 1960s, GM-CSF therapy has been attempted based on the recently suggested pathogenetic mechanism. We report a case of pulmonary alveolar proteinosis that resolved spontaneously after an open lung biopsy.