Exogenous Lipoid Pneumonia Due to Aerosolized Essential Oils: An Unusual Source of Chronic Pneumonia Mimicking Neoplasm.

Abstract

A 72-year-old man presented with progressive shortness of breath and increasing consolidation. Extensive workup eventually led to the diagnosis of lipoid pneumonia, attributed to an unusual source of inhaled aerosolized essential oils in a commercially available breath freshening spray. This case illustrates the clinical and radiologic manifestations of exogenous lipoid pneumonia from an unreported entity and highlights the value of interdisciplinary discussion, detailed analysis of every imaging study, proper pathologic sample preparation, and the limited value of functional imaging in this condition. Keywords: PET/CT, Biopsy/Needle Aspiration, Thorax, Lung, Inflammation, Observer Performance © RSNA, 2025.