Role of computed tomography angiography in the evaluation of haemoptysis in children: Decoding the abnormal vessels.

Background & objectives: Haemoptysis in children is potentially life-threatening. In most cases, the bleeding arises from the systemic circulation, and in 5-10 per cent of cases, it arises from the pulmonary circulation. The role of computed tomography angiography (CTA) in this setting is important. This study was undertaken (i) to study the role of single-phase split-bolus dual energy contrast-enhanced multidetector row CTA (DECTA) in the evaluation of haemoptysis in children; (ii) to analyze the patterns of abnormal vascular supply in the various aetiologies encountered. Methods: A retrospective study of 86 patients who underwent split bolus DECTA for the evaluation of haemoptysis was performed. Final diagnoses were categorized as normal computed tomography, active tuberculosis (TB), post-infectious sequelae, non-TB active infection, cystic fibrosis (CF), non-CF bronchiectasis, congenital heart disease (CHD), interstitial lung disease, vasculitis, pulmonary thromboembolism and idiopathic pulmonary haemosiderosis. Abnormal bronchial arteries (BAs) and non-bronchial systemic collateral arteries (NBSCs) were assessed for number and site and their correlation with underlying aetiologies. Results: A total of 86 patients (45 males, age from 0.3 to 18 yr, mean 13.88 yr) were included in the study; among these only two patients were less than five years of age. The most common cause of haemoptysis was active infection (n=30), followed by bronchiectasis (n=18), post-infectious sequelae (n=17) and CHD (n=7). One hundred and sixty five abnormal arteries were identified (108 BA and 57 NBSC), and were more marked in bronchiectasis group. Interpretation & conclusions: Active infections and bronchiectasis are the most common causes of haemoptysis in children. While post-infectious sequelae are less common, in patients with haemoptysis, the presence of any abnormal arteries correlates with a more frequent diagnosis of bronchiectasis. NBSCs are more common in post-infectious sequelae and CHD.

A Surgical Case of Bronchial Artery Aneurysm Connecting to a Pulmonary Artery and Vein Complicated by Racemose Hemangioma.

We report a surgical case of bronchial artery aneurysm (BAA) that directly connected to a pulmonary artery and a pulmonary vein through an abnormal vessel. It was complicated by racemose hemangioma. This is a rare vascular malformation. An 82-year-old female had a large BAA that was found incidentally. First, we consider treating the BAA with embolization by interventional radiology (IVR). However, because of strong meandering of the bronchial artery, we could not advance a microcatheter into the BAA. Therefore, a surgical operation was performed through a standard posterior lateral thoracotomy. The BAA was located between the upper and lower lobes and directly connected to the pulmonary artery. Some bronchial artery branches that provided inflow to the aneurysm were ligated, and the abnormal vessel that connected the BAA to the upper pulmonary vein was ligated easily. A fistula between the BAA and pulmonary artery was sutured by the cardiovascular surgeon using an artificial cardiopulmonary device, with permissive stenosis of A2b (ascending A2).

Recurrent Hemoptysis: A Bronchial Dieulafoy's Lesion in a Pediatric Patient.

OBJECTIVE: This paper presents a case of a bronchial Dieulafoy's lesion in a pediatric patient with recurrent hemoptysis. CASE REPORT: A 11-year old female presented multiple times with dry cough and hemoptysis to an outside hospital, each time leading to a diagnosis of epistaxis and subsequent discharge. When she arrived to our tertiary center with heavy hemoptysis and no evidence of epistaxis, the patient was urgently taken to the operating room by both the otolaryngology and pediatric pulmonology services. Active bleeding from a Dieulafoy's lesion on the right lower bronchus was found and selective embolization of two tortuous arteries was subsequently performed. The patient was discharged in stable condition without recurrence of hemoptysis over the last two months. CONCLUSION: While rare, especially in pediatric patients, bronchial Dieulafoy's lesions may cause severe hemoptysis and should be considered in the differential diagnosis when the etiology for hemoptysis is unclear.

Massive paediatric pulmonary haemorrhage in Dieulafoy's disease: Roles of CT angiography, embolisation and bronchoscopy.

Acute, major pulmonary haemorrhage in children, is rare, may be life-threatening and at times presents atypically. Dieulafoy's disease of the bronchus presenting with recurrent or massive hemoptysis was first described in adults. Prior to reviewing the literature, we report an illustrative case of bronchial Dieulafoy's disease (BDD) in a child presenting unusually with massive apparent hematemesis. The source of bleeding is a bronchial artery that fails to taper as it terminates within the bronchial submucosa. A high index of suspicion is required to identify such lesions via radiological imaging and the role of bronchial artery embolisation is highlighted with video images of angiography included.

A rare and fatal respiratory disease: bronchial Dieulafoy's disease.

A 66-year-old woman had two severe episodes of massive hemoptysis without any premonitory symptoms, with approximately 400-500 ml blood each time. Bronchoscopic exam revealed a smooth and pulsatile protrusion that was approximately 8-10 mm in diameter found at the beginning of the right middle lobe bronchus in the bronchial lumen. The protrusion arose from the surface with absolutely normal mucosa. Selective bronchial arteriography showed that elongated, tortuous, and dilated branches of the bronchial artery in the region of the middle lobe bronchus. Further bronchial arterial embolization (BAE) is recommended, although the patient currently has no active bleeding. Bronchial Dieulafoy's disease (BDD) is a rare and life-threatening disease. Selective bronchial arteriography is a diagnostic tool to detect and locate abnormal arteries. There is no unified guideline or expert consensus on the treatment of BDD. Selective BAE or surgical resection is usually used as a first-line treatment to control hemoptysis. The reviews of this paper are available via the supplemental material section.

Massive Hemoptysis in Children.

Rationale. Hemoptysis is a rare but often life-threatening condition in pediatric patients. Massive hemoptysis can easily lead to asphyxia, respiratory failure, shock, and even death. The most common causes of severe hemoptysis are lower respiratory tract infection, vascular malformation, and bronchial foreign body. We present an unusual case of massive hemoptysis caused by malformation of the bronchial artery, which includes bronchial artery hypertrophy, bronchial-pulmonary artery fistula, and ectopic bronchial artery. Patient. An 11-year-old boy was admitted to the hospital with mild hemoptysis lasting for the two preceding days. He did not report any discomfort, such as fever or chest pain. His complete blood count and coagulation function were normal. Chest X-ray documented lower right pneumonia. Massive hemoptysis occurred on the night of the admission. Diagnosis. Bronchial arteriography revealed that the right lower bronchial artery and the ectopic bronchial artery from the renal artery were the responsible vessels for hemoptysis. Interventions. The boy underwent a successful bronchial artery embolization and bronchoscopy to remove the blood clot from the airway. Outcomes. After bronchial artery embolization and bronchoscopy, the boy recovered without complications. Hemoptysis and chest pain disappeared, and chest radiographs returned to normal. Lessons. Bronchial arterial bleeding often presents as life-threatening massive hemoptysis. Patients should immediately receive hemostatic treatment and undergo chest CTA, bronchial arteriography, BAE, and bronchoscopy according to their condition. Rapid identification of the etiology and symptomatic treatment are critical to saving the lives of children.

Dieulafoy disease of the bronchus involving bilateral arteries: A case report and literature review.

RATIONALE: Dieulafoy disease of the bronchus is a rare vascular deformity. To the best of our knowledge, reports of these involving both lung vascular are hitherto absent. PATIENT CONCERNS: A 67-year-old male was admitted to our department due to agnogenic hemoptysis. DIAGNOSES: Bronchoscopy was performed and some smooth, pulsatile nodular lesions were found in the middle and lower lobes, Computed tomography angiography of the bronchial artery confirmed a left bronchial artery arising from the aortic arch at T4 level, and both bronchial arteries were dilated and tortuous. INTERVENTIONS: Bronchial artery embolization was performed successfully. OUTCOMES: The patient was discharged with no hemoptysis. In addition, patient is under follow-up until today without any further incidents. LESSONS: This case reminds us that Dieulafoy disease of the bronchus could be a potential etiology for unexplained hemoptysis. The clinician should be aware of this disease when bronchoscopy revealed multiple some smooth, pulsatile nodular lesions, thereafter, bronchoscope biopsy should be avoided, as it could lead to fatal hemoptysis.

Pulmonary Hemorrhage Due to Unrecognized Bronchial Collateral After Arterial Switch Operation.

We report a neonate with transposition of great arteries and intact ventricular septum who had a massive pulmonary hemorrhage soon after an arterial switch operation. An emergency cardiac catheterization revealed a large bronchial collateral artery from the descending aorta feeding the right lung. The hemorrhage was controlled by coil embolization of the collateral, and the patient recovered after prolonged intensive care.

Vessels of the Central Airways: A Bronchoscopic Perspective.

Blood supply of the tracheobronchial tree is derived from a dual system involving pulmonary and bronchial circulation. Various primary and secondary abnormalities of central airway vasculature can present with patterns that are distinct during bronchoscopy. These patterns maybe visualized during bronchoscopic evaluation of a patient with hemoptysis or as an incidental finding during an airway examination for other indications. Thorough knowledge of airway vasculature abnormalities and recognition of possible underlying pathophysiology is vital for the bronchoscopist. This review is a comprehensive description of vascular anatomy of the airway and the different vascular abnormalities that can be encountered during bronchoscopy.

Successful embolization in childhood hemoptysis due to abnormal systemic arterial bleeding of the lung and review of the literature.

BACKGROUND AND AIMS: Hemoptysis in children is a rare but potentially life-threatening symptom of an underlying respiratory tract abnormality. Hemoptysis, when massive and untreated, has a mortality rate of more than 50%. With interventional radiological procedures and surgery, this rate has dropped to 7%-18%. The experience with bronchial arterial embolization in childhood is very limited; only a few case reports with short-term follow-up have been reported. METHODS: We report herein two patients with massive hemoptysis due to abnormal systemic arterial bleeding of the lung; neither patient had any lung or systemic disease. In both cases, the bleeding was controlled with endovascular embolization. The first case had bronchopulmonary arterial anastomosis and represents the first reported case with this anomaly. The second case had recurrent massive hemoptysis due to bronchial artery bleeding, and repeat embolization was performed. RESULTS: Both of these children had rare vascular anomalies without parenchymal lung disease and were treated successfully with bronchial arterial embolization. CONCLUSION: Massive hemoptysis due to abnormal systemic bleeding of the lung in the absence of parenchymal disease is an uncommon and severe symptom in childhood. Embolization can be a treatment option in children with abnormal vasculature bleeding and can be repeated safely when needed.

Unilateral Emphysema in Infancy, a Rare Presentation of Aberrant Bronchial Artery: Case Report and Review of Literature.

Aberrant bronchial arteries are rarely seen and may originate from various vascular structures. Hemoptysis is the most common clinical presentation of cases with anomalous bronchial artery. We report a case of a 1-month-old infant presented with respiratory distress and left lung emphysema. Radiologic investigations and bronchoscopy revealed that the cause is an aberrant left bronchial artery compressing the left main bronchus. Surgical division of the aberrant vessel was performed with gradual improvement of the emphysema and respiratory distress. Unilateral emphysema due to vascular compression was previously reported. However, to the best of our knowledge, this is the first reported case of aberrant bronchial artery presenting with external compression of a main bronchus and unilateral emphysema. Also, this is the youngest reported case with an aberrant bronchial artery.

Synovial Sarcoma-AV Malformation Collision in the Anterior Mediastinum.

Arteriovenous malformation (AVM) and synovial sarcomas are both rare lesions in the mediastinum. Rarer still is a collision tumor in that region. Herein we present a case of a collision tumor comprised of AVM and synovial sarcoma in a 76-year-old man, presenting with pneumonia. Imaging showed a vascular lesion that spontaneously ruptured, causing enlargement of the mass and hemothorax. The resected specimen revealed the malignant second component. This report is a discussion of the never-before reported lesion.

An Aberrant Left Bronchial Artery Originating from the Proximal Ascending Aorta.

The origin of the bronchial arteries (BAs) has numerous anatomical variations. It is important to recognize these variations when performing interventional radiologic procedures in the thorax. We report the case of a 71-year-old man who underwent transarterial infusion chemotherapy for squamous cell carcinoma of the upper lobe of the left lung via a feeding left BA that originated from the proximal ascending aorta. After two cycles of transarterial infusion chemotherapy, the tumor significantly decreased in size. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first report of an aberrant BA originating from this site.

Thoracic endovascular aortic repair and coil embolization of the pulmonary artery for primary racemose hemangioma of the bronchial artery with a bronchial-pulmonary artery fistula.

A 69-year-old male visited a doctor with dyspnea. A bronchial-pulmonary artery fistula, which is called racemose hemangioma, and dilated pulmonary artery were detected by a computed tomography (CT) scan. The bronchial-pulmonary artery fistula can cause lethal hemoptysis, therefore, we performed thoracic endovascular aortic repair (TEVAR) to seal the bronchial artery and coil embolization of the pulmonary artery. Postoperative CT showed the thrombosed racemose hemangioma of the bronchial artery. TEVAR and coil embolization of the pulmonary artery is considered to be a useful treatment option for a racemose hemangioma.

[Systemic pulmonary anastomosis: a rare cause of massive hemoptysis]. / Anastomoses systémo-pulmonaires : une cause rare d'hémoptysie massive.

We report on the case of a 15-year-old boy with massive hemoptysis caused by anastomosis between bronchial and pulmonary arteries, successfully treated with embolization. No similar case was found in the literature, likely because of the high mortality rate of this type of malformation.