Excipient lung disease (talc granulomatosis)
Imaging findings
Chest radiograph and high-resolution CT show the acute onset of diffuse, discrete centrilobular pulmonary nodules, along with a dilated main pulmonary artery and right heart chambers representing pulmonary hypertension in a patient who admitted to injecting crushed oral tablets.
Key takeaways
Intravenous injection of dissolved oral medication tablets causes embolization of insoluble binders/excipients (such as talc or cornstarch) into the pulmonary arterioles, inciting a foreign body granulomatous reaction (excipient lung disease) and progressive pulmonary hypertension.
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