[Bilateral pneumonia after localized irradiation of a thymoma. Description of a case].

Acute pneumonitis characterized by fever, coughing and moderate dyspnea can appear from 6 to 12 weeks after irradiation. Most patients later show signs of fibrosis confined to the irradiated field. An entity that has been under recent discussion is "radiation-induced sporadic pneumonitis", a bilateral lymphocytic alveolitis of autoimmune origin that leads to generalized pulmonary response after local irradiation. The prognosis for such cases is good. We report a case of early post-irradiation pneumonitis of the type described, which led unexpectedly to the patient's death.