Non‐infectious interstitial alveolitis and foreign body pulmonary vasculitis in a child treated for acute lymphoblastic leukemia

We report a case of a 14-month-old girl who was treated for acute lymphoblastic leukemia but died from interstitial alveolitis associated with foreign body vasculitis. This respiratory complication arose 3 months after an allogenic bone marrow transplant. No infectious agents (bacteria, virus, or parasite) were isolated from bronchial or lung tissue samples. Respiratory complications after chemotherapy are reviewed as well as the potential origin of the intravascular foreign bodies. Pediatr. Pulmonol. 1997; 23:382–385. © 1997 Wiley-Liss, Inc.