In most cases, empyema develops pathophysio-logically as a result of untreated and uncontrolled parapneumonic pleural effusion. Such cases may be treated with various interventional procedures depending on the amount of fluid, such as thora-centesis or chest tube drainage, supported by pathogen-targeted antibiotic therapy. The under-lying infectious cause of empyema is often viral or bacterial, while fungal-related empyema is much rarer. The presented case is of particular interest due to the simultaneous occurrence of fungal and tuberculosis empyema.

Central venous catheter complications are rare in patients with hemophilia, but should not be ignored. A 19-year-old male with hemophilia who presented with hemoptysis was found to have a 7 cm catheter fragment lodged in his pulmonary artery. Despite the chronic presence of this foreign object, no pulmonary hypertension devel-oped over a 3-year follow-up. The conservative management option was selected due to the risks associated with invasive procedures in hemophil-ia. This report highlights the significance of long-term monitoring and individualized care in pa-tients with retained intravascular foreign bodies.

Klinefelter syndrome (KS) is a sex chromosome abnormality characterized by a 47, XXY karyo-type. While the exact cause of the condition remains unknown, the incidence of pulmonary embolism (PE) is higher in KS patients. Several hypotheses have been put forward to explain this condition, including hypogonadism, which leads to hormonal imbalances due to low testosterone levels and an increased estrogen-to-testosterone ratio, as well as testosterone deficiency and the associated adverse effects on the vascular endothelium. A number of congenital cardiovascular anomalies have been reported in the literature in patients with KS. That said, no cases involving a right-sided aortic arch and aberrant subclavian artery have been reported to date. We present here the case of a patient who was admitted to our clinic with a PE after being diagnosed with KS, and with a right aortic arch and an aberrant subclavian artery anomaly.

Diffuse alveolar hemorrhage syndrome is charac-terized by diffuse alveolar bleeding caused by capillary damage, and delays in diagnosis and treatment can significantly increase the risk of mortality. Warfarin is an oral anticoagulant that is commonly used today for the prevention of arterial and venous thromboembolic events. As with other anticoagulants, the risk of hemorrhage increases with the use of warfarin, and while alveolar hemorrhage resulting from warfarin use is a very rare complication, it can progress rapidly to become life-threatening if not diagnosed and treated early. We present here the case of a pa-tient with chronic kidney failure who developed diffuse alveolar hemorrhage following the prophylactic use of warfarin for atrial fibrillation.

Behçet’s disease is a chronic multisystemic condition characterized by systemic vasculitis in which pulmonary involvement is uncom-mon, and pneumothorax is a particularly rare complication. We describe here the case of a 53-year-old male with a known history of Behçet’s disease who presented with acute chest pain and dyspnea. Chest X-ray re-vealed a left-sided tension pneumothorax. Thoracic CT revealed large apical bullae, and the patient subsequently underwent video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery (VATS) with wedge resection and partial pleural decortication. Histopathological evaluation was consistent with bullous emphysema and no evidence of vasculitis was observed. This case illustrates that tension pneumothorax can, in rare cases, develop in patients with Behçet’s disease, even in the absence of pulmonary vasculitis. VATS may be considered as a safe and effective treatment option in appropri-ately selected cases.

Mature cystic teratomas are rare tumors of the anterior mediastinum that may, in rare cases, contain pancreatic cells and can reach considerable sizes, depending on their structure. The currently preferred treat-ment for benign mediastinal tumors is video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery (VATS). We present here a case of a giant mediastinal mature cystic teratoma with a pathological finding of pancreatic islets that was success-fully treated with bilateral VATS. Our findings support the use of VATS in such cases, re-gardless of size.

Negative pressure pulmonary edema is a rare complication following general anesthesia, potentially requiring intensive care monitoring and mechanical ventilatory support. Prompt clinical suspicion and early diagnosis, along with appropriate management and respiratory support, can support rapid and complete recovery with favorable outcomes. Particular care should be taken in young, adult and male patients who develop laryngospasm during extubation, including close monitoring, and negative pressure pulmonary edema should be considered in the differential diagnosis if pulmonary edema develops. We present here the diagnostic, monitoring and therapeutic approach applied to a young male patient who developed negative pressure pulmonary edema following extubation after undergoing appendectomy

Birt-Hogg-Dubé syndrome (BHDS) is a systemic disease characterized by bilateral pulmonary bullae, hair follicle hamartomas and renal tumors. We present here the case of a 41-year-old male who presented with spontaneous pneumothorax with a history of surgery due to a renal tumor. The patient was referred for genetic testing based on clinical suspicion and a family history of pneumothorax, and was subsequently diagnosed with BHDS.

Hamartomas are benign tumors of the respiratory tract that are usually asymptomatic. Endobronchial hamartomas are rare, but may cause bronchial obstruction, leading to persistent respiratory symptoms and radiological abnormalities such as atelectasis. A 43-year-old female patient with a diagnosis of asthma who had never smoked presented with complaints of cough, sputum and pleuritic chest pain. The initial diagnosis was community-acquired pneumonia, for which antibiotic treatment was administered. Although the patient’s complaints regressed, atelectasis was a persistent finding on chest X-ray and so computed tomography (CT) was performed. A hypodense lesion obstructing the left upper lobe bronchus was detected in the thorax CT. Bronchoscopic examination revealed an endobronchial mass in the area of the radiological projection and a punch biopsy was performed, the results of which were non-diagnostic. An excisional biopsy was obtained during rigid bronchoscopy, the pathology of which confirmed the hamartoma diagnosis. We present the case of a patient with an endobronchial hamartoma and persistent atelectasis, and with treatment-resistant respiratory symptoms mimicking asthma.

Swyer-James-MacLeod Syndrome (SJMS) is a rare broncho-pulmonary disorder that typically develops following an infection in the lungs during childhood, such as viral bronchiolitis or pneumonia. Radiologically, it is characterized by a unilateral hyperlucent lung, decreased pulmonary vascularity, and air trapping. Clinically, the syndrome can present with symptoms such as cough, sputum production and exertional dyspnea, although it may also remain asymptomatic and be discovered incidentally during imaging. SJMS can mimic various pulmonary conditions, including pulmonary thromboembolism. We present here a case from our outpatient clinic in which a patient was initially evaluated with a preliminary diagnosis of pulmonary thromboembolism, but was ultimately diagnosed with SJMS after thorough clinical and radiological assessment.

We present here the clinical features of five infants who died in the neonatal period due to COVID-19, for which the medical records of COVID-positive pregnant women isolated in a third-level neonatal intensive care unit between December 2019 and October 2021 were evaluated retrospectively. Of the five cases, three were preterm, one had a great artery transposition and another underwent surgery for necrotizing enterocolitis. All of the cases experienced a gradual increase in respiratory distress, and none responded to remdesivir, intravenous immunoglobulin or steroid treatments. COVID-19 infection can be fatal in the neonatal period, especially in the presence of an underlying disease or comorbidities such as prematurity and congenital heart disease.