Document Type : Case Report
Authors
- Killen H. Briones-Zamora 1
- Ana Polanco Montero 2
- Jessica Monroy Castro 2
- Ana Victoria Carrera-Cantos 2
- Karelys Nicole Arteaga Ocaña 2
- Anahí D. Briones-Zamora 2
- Killen H. Briones-Claudett 1, 2
1 Faculty of Medical Sciences, Universidad de Especialidades Espíritu Santo, Samborondón, Ecuador
2 Medical Education and Research, Briones PulmoCare, Guayaquil, Ecuador
Abstract
Langerhans cell histiocytosis (LCH) is a rare disorder characterized by the clonal proliferation of Langerhans cells, and osseous involvement is the most frequent manifestation in pediatric patients. Although pulmonary involvement is recognized in LCH, respiratory presentations typically reflect direct pulmonary or airway disease rather than reversible obstructive symptoms. We report the case of a 4-year-old child with persistent, painful frontal swelling following minor trauma, which was initially presumed to be a post-traumatic hematoma. During the diagnostic course, the patient developed an asthma exacerbation that improved with bronchodilator and corticosteroid therapy. Imaging revealed a solitary osteolytic lesion of the frontal bone, and histopathological examination confirmed unifocal LCH. No clinical or chest radiographic evidence of pulmonary involvement was identified. This case underscored that persistent post-traumatic cranial swelling warrants imaging and histopathological evaluation, and highlights that the concurrent asthma exacerbation represents a temporal clinical overlap without proven causality.
Highlights
Killen H. Briones-Zamora (Google Scholar)
Keywords
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