Percutaneous Stent-Graft Repair of a Mycotic Pulmonary Artery Pseudoaneurysm

Ruptured pulmonary artery pseudoaneurysm treated with stent graft: case report and literature review

Background

Hemoptysis is a severe condition, associated with a high mortality rate from asphyxiation. Less than 5% of cases come from the pulmonary arterial circulation and large pseudoaneurysm are rarely treatable by stent graft.

Case presentation

We present the case of a 74-year-old man who suffered from a new onset of hemoptysis despite a prior bronchial artery embolization. He underwent a rescue endovascular stent graft placement for a massive hemoptysis caused by a ruptured proximal pulmonary artery pseudoaneurysm. A short review of similar situations is provided.

Conclusion

Salvage endovascular stent graft placement for a massive hemoptysis caused by a ruptured proximal pulmonary artery pseudoaneurysm is a viable salvage technique for life-threatening hemoptysis.

Treatment of pulmonary artery pseudoaneurysms and stenosis with balloon-expandable stents

We describe our use of balloon-expandable stents in pulmonary arteries for a variety of indications. This is an endovascular technique that provides an alternative treatment option to treat some forms of complex pulmonary artery disease when standard surgical or other endovascular options are not possible. This case series describes the successful treatment of four patients with different pulmonary artery diseases. Indications for stent placement include multiple broad-necked pulmonary artery pseudoaneurysms, symptomatic malignant pulmonary artery narrowing and post-surgical iatrogenic pulmonary artery stenosis. No stent-related complication had been identified from 3 months to 4 years of follow-up. All surviving patients have experienced sustained symptomatic improvement.

Pulmonary valve infective endocarditis: A case series

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Esophagopulmonary fistula causing pulmonary arterial pseudoaneurysms and massive hemoptysis

An esophagopulmonary fistula (EPF) may occur in patients with esophageal carcinoma and result in pulmonary abscess formation. Lung abscesses may in turn cause pulmonary artery (PA) pseudoaneurysms and life-threatening hemoptysis. We report a 59-year-old man with past medical history of metastatic distal esophageal adenocarcinoma who presented with fever, cough, and massive hemoptysis. Imaging evaluation demonstrated an EPF, associated lung abscess, and PA pseudoaneurysms. The presented case illustrates that embolization of PA pseudoaneurysms to prevent bleeding, and endoscopic esophageal covered stent graft placement to divert esophageal contents from the abscess, may facilitate a favorable outcome.

Pulmonary Artery Pseudoaneurysm: A Rare Cause of Fatal Massive Hemoptysis

Pulmonary artery pseudoaneurysm (PAPA), an uncommon complication of pyogenic bacterial and fungal infections and related septic emboli, is associated with high mortality. The pulmonary artery (PA) lacks an adventitial wall; therefore, repeated endovascular seeding of the PA with septic emboli creates saccular dilations that are more likely to rupture than systemic arterial aneurysms. The most common clinical presentation of PAPA is massive hemoptysis and resultant worsening hypoxemia. Computed tomography angiography is the preferred diagnostic modality for PAPA; typical imaging patterns include focal outpouchings of contrast adjacent to a branch of the PA following the same contrast density as the PA in all phases of the study. In mycotic PAPAs, multiple synchronous lesions are often seen in segmental and subsegmental PAs due to ongoing embolic phenomena. The recommended approach for a mycotic PAPA is prolonged antimicrobial therapy; for massive hemoptysis, endovascular treatment (e.g., coil embolization, stenting, or embolization of the feeding vessel) is preferred. PAPA resection and lobectomy are a last resort, generally reserved for patients with uncontrolled hemoptysis or pleural hemorrhage. We present a case of a 28-year-old woman with necrotizing pneumonia from intravenous drug use who ultimately died from massive hemoptysis and shock after a ruptured PAPA.

Massive haemoptysis from a central pulmonary arterial pseudoaneurysm secondary to advanced lung cancer: successful treatment by Guglielmi detachable coil embolization

Massive haemoptysis is a life-threatening condition in patients with lung cancer. Endovascular embolization has been well-established as an effective means of treating this condition. Haemoptysis of pulmonary arterial origin is rare, and a pulmonary artery pseudoaneurysm (PAP) is generally the main cause. PAP due to lung cancer is also very rare, and the site of bleeding always involves the peripheral lung. We report an unusual case of central PAP secondary to advanced central squamous-cell carcinoma of the lung in a patient with acute massive haemoptysis. The sac of the pseudoaneurysm underwent successful embolization using various Guglielmi detachable coils (GDCs). The patient died of lung cancer without recurrence of haemoptysis 42 days post-embolization. To the best of our knowledge, this case report is the first to describe massive haemoptysis caused by central PAP due to lung cancer and its successful treatment by GDC embolization.

Peripheral mycotic pulmonary artery aneurysms

Mycotic pulmonary artery aneurysms are rare but potentially fatal complications of infective endocarditis. The literature on this rare condition was reviewed and its management is discussed.

Pulmonary artery pseudoaneurysm after MRSA septicemia in a pediatric patient

We document a previously unreported case of a pulmonary artery pseudoaneurysm (PAP) that developed in a pediatric patient initially presenting with Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus hip joint sepsis. This is the first reported case of PAP of infectious origin in a pediatric patient, and this case is unique as the evolution of the PAP was documented by computed tomography.

Interventional radiology in the diagnosis, management, and follow-up of pseudoaneurysms

Arterial wall disruption, as a consequence of inflammation/infection, trauma (penetrating or blunt), or iatrogenic causes, may result in pseudoaneurysm formation. Currently, iatrogenic causes are increasing as a result of the growth of endovascular intervention. The frequency of other causes also seems to be increasing, but this may simply be the result of increased diagnosis by better imaging techniques, such as multidetector contrast-enhanced computed tomography. Clinically, pseudoaneurysms may be silent, may present with local or systemic signs, or can rupture with catastrophic consequences. Open surgical repair, previously the mainstay of treatment, has largely been replaced by image-guided occlusion methods. On the basis of an experience of over 100 pseudoaneurysms, treatments at various anatomical sites, imaging modalities used for accurate diagnosis, current changing therapeutic options for pseudoaneurysm management, approved embolization agents, and clinical follow-up requirements to ensure adequate treatment will be discussed. Image-guided direct percutaneous and endovascular embolization of pseudoaneurysms are established treatment options with favorable success rates and minimal morbidity. The pendulum has now swung from invasive surgical repair of pseudoaneurysms to that of image-guided interventional radiology.

Endovascular Repair of a Primary Iliac-Cecal Fistula Presenting with Gastrointestinal Hemorrhage

We report a case of an arterio-enteric fistula between an external iliac artery aneurysm and otherwise healthy cecum, presenting with torrential hemorrhage per rectum in an 85-year-old patient. Whilst fistulization to the aorta and common iliac arteries has been reported, to our knowledge no previous cases of primary fistulization between an external iliac aneurysm and normal cecum have been. Successful endovascular exclusion of the aneurysm was undertaken with a Wallgraft covered stent and the patient remains well at 1 year.

Stent Implantation for Malignant Pulmonary Artery Stenosis in a Metastasizing Non-Small Cell Bronchial Carcinoma

A 58-year-old patient with recently diagnosed non-small cell bronchial carcinoma was referred to us with increasing shortness of breath and orthopnea by her family practitioner. To exclude the possibility of a pulmonary embolism, contrast medium-enhanced angio-CT of the thorax was performed. This showed a large mediastinal tumor, which, on the one hand, infiltrated and occluded the left upper lobe bronchus and, on the other, constricted the left pulmonary artery over a considerable part of its length. In view of the palliative situation and massively increasing dyspnea, balloon dilatation of the obstructed left pulmonary artery followed by stent placement was performed. This resulted in an immediate improvement of the symptoms. The originally strongly oxygen-dependent and heavily dyspneic patient could be relieved of the external supply of oxygen and was able to sleep normally without additional medication within 24 h. The patient was able ambulate freely within 2 days, with a markedly improved quality of life.

Rasmussen’s Aneurysm: A Forgotten Entity?

We present the case of a rare entity which is a complication of a disease process that had almost disappeared from the Western World. With the recent resurgence in reported cases of Mycobacterium tuberculosis (TB) in Western communities, it is important to recognize complications and sequelae. A young alcoholic male with confirmed active TB suffered a cardiac arrest following massive haemoptysis. Multidetector computed tomography angiography diagnosed a Rasmussen's aneurysm, confirmed by digital subtraction angiography and then successfully embolized with glue. We outline this rare case and the embolization technique and review previously documented reports.