Abstract

MAINIERI-HIDALGO, José; MONGE-BONILLA, Cecilia  and  SANCHEZ-RAMIREZ, Adriana. Sarcoidosis: experiencia con 15 casos en el Hospital Calderón Guardia. Acta méd. costarric [online]. 2002, vol.44, n.2, pp.82-86. ISSN 0001-6002.

Sarcoidosis is an infrequent disease in Costa Rica. In 1988 the Hospital San Juan de Dios reported six cases. This is a clinical study of 15 patients diagnosed at the Hospital Calderón Guardia from 1987 to 2001. All the patients presented with thoracic disease and in 12 of them it was localized to the mediastinal lymph nodes. A chest X-ray detected all the cases; cough and dispnea were the most frequent symptoms and mediastinoscopy was the most useful method to obtain a biopsy. The histologic diagnosis was made in the presence of non-necrotizing granulomas, giant cells and a lymphocytic infiltrate. No microorganisms were isolated. Fourteen patients received symptomatic treatment and observation, and one with pulmonary disease and respiratory symptoms received also steroids. All the patients were observed, for an average of 7 years. They presented spontaneous resolution without remissions.

Keywords : Sarcoidosis; tumores del mediastino; mediastinoscopía.