Department of Anatomic Pathology, Graduate School of Medicine, Tohoku University, Sendai, Japan.
Department of Occupational Health, Graduate School of Medicine, Tohoku University, Sendai, Japan.
Diagn Pathol. 2023 Jan 28;18(1):10. doi: 10.1186/s13000-023-01303-1.
Indium lung is characterized by interstitial pneumonia and/or emphysema which occurs in indium-tin oxide (ITO) workers. Indium lung is now known to progress after stopping exposure to ITO, but the long-term influences of ITO remain unclear.
Forty seven years old, a never-smoker, who had been engaged in an ITO manufacturing process for 8 years. Emphysema was indicated by the medical check-up for ex-ITO workers, and he was diagnosed with indium lung. He underwent partial lung resections for pneumothorax two times, and obstructive pulmonary dysfunction had progressed through the years. He underwent right single lung transplant 20 years after ITO exposure. Pathologically, his lung showed severe distal acinar emphysema and honeycomb change. Fibrosis and destruction of the lung tissue significantly progressed compared to the previous partial resections. Scanning electron microscopy combined with energy dispersive spectroscopy revealed that the deposited particles contained indium and tin. After the transplantation, his respiratory function was improved.
In this case, ITO resided in the lung tissue for 20 years, and lung tissue destruction kept progressing. Careful medical follow-up is recommended for ITO-workers even if they are asymptomatic.
铟肺的特征是间质性肺炎和/或肺气肿，发生于氧化铟锡（ITO）工人中。铟肺现已被证实停止接触 ITO 后仍会进展，但 ITO 的长期影响仍不清楚。
患者 47 岁，从不吸烟，从事 ITO 制造工作 8 年。在对前 ITO 工人的体检中发现肺气肿，诊断为铟肺。他因气胸进行了两次部分肺切除术，且多年来阻塞性肺功能障碍逐渐加重。在接触 ITO 20 年后，他接受了右单肺移植。病理检查显示，他的肺部严重远端腺泡性肺气肿和蜂窝状改变。与之前的部分切除术相比，纤维化和肺组织破坏明显加重。扫描电子显微镜结合能量色散光谱显示，沉积的颗粒含有铟和锡。移植后，他的呼吸功能得到改善。
在本例中，ITO 在肺组织中停留了 20 年，肺组织破坏仍在持续进展。即使无症状，ITO 工人也需要进行仔细的医学随访。
