RECURRENT THORACIC SARCOIDOSIS AFTER SPON TANEOUS RESOLUTION

Five cases of recurrent thoracic sarcoidosis which happened 5.5 years on the average after spontaneous resolution of the disease are reporte d. Initially, these patients were characterized by the frequency of th e presence of a Lofgren's syndrome and the absence of extrathoracic sa rcoid localizations. Recurrence of sarcoidosis was potentially severe essentially because of extra-thoracic localization which needed oral c orticosteroid treatment in 2 patients. Because recurrence of sarcoidos is is rarely observed, the diagnosis should be, in the absence of eryt hema nodosum, confirmed histologically in order to exclude a lymphoma or one of the various etiologies of diffuse interstitial lung disease. A sustained and regular surveillance of sarcoid patients after sponta neous resolution, particularly those with a Lofgren's syndrome, is sug gested.