Isolated Unilateral Absence of the Pulmonary Artery

Unusual Developmental Vascular Anomalies: Insights From a Chest Physician's Perspective

This case report discusses three developmental vascular anomalies (DVAs) observed in adults and highlights the challenges related to the diagnosis and management. Even though detected at early ages, diagnostic difficulties are observed in the adult age due to the scarcity and diverse clinical features. These cases illustrate the necessity of a multidisciplinary approach involving clinicians and radiologists for precise and prompt diagnosis in adults, where misdiagnosis and delays in intervention are frequent. The cases comprised a 17-year-old female with an absent right pulmonary artery and mitral stenosis, a 46-year-old female with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), with an absent left pulmonary artery, and a 60-year-old female with bronchial asthma and tuberculosis exhibiting a rare DVA. This discussion highlights the importance of intensified clinical suspicion and thorough evaluation for the cases of unexplained respiratory symptoms and abnormal image findings in patients, which can further provide the medical community with valuable insights.

Unilateral Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome with Contralateral Pulmonary Artery Agenesis: A Rare Scenario

Unilateral pulmonary artery agenesis (UPAA) is a rare condition where the patient may remain asymptomatic for a long period till adulthood. Presentation may be in the form of dyspnea, cough, hemoptysis, decreased exercise tolerance, and recurrent respiratory tract infections. Ventilation–perfusion mismatch and excessive blood flow to the normal lung may eventually lead to unilateral acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS). We present a case of a 40-year-old gentleman with nonresolving pneumonia who was diagnosed to have unilateral ARDS due to UPAA. Even though ARDS involves bilateral lung, unilateral ARDS which does not show resolution with lung protective strategies should always raise the suspicion of a rare disease like UPAA among clinicians. To date, there is no specific prescribed treatment for UPAA.

Isolated unilateral absence of pulmonary artery in adulthood: a clinical analysis of 65 cases from a case series and systematic review

Background

Isolated unilateral absence of pulmonary artery (UAPA) in adulthood is a rare congenital anomaly. Although some case reports exist, the clinical symptomatology, lung parenchymal features, collateral circulation and therapeutic approaches in adult patients with isolated UAPA remain unknown. The objectives of this study are to investigate the clinical characteristics, elucidate the correlation between clinical symptomatology and radiology, and summarize treatment of adult patients with isolated UAPA.

Methods

Cases of adult patients with isolated UAPA who had been diagnosed at our hospital and identified from PubMed, EMBASE and Web of Science from 1990 to 2016 were analyzed.

Results

Hemoptysis was present in 41.5% of patients, exertional dyspnea in 41.5%, and recurrent respiratory infection in 35.4%. Lung parenchymal abnormalities were found on chest computed tomography (CT) scan, including bronchiectasis, which occurred in 30.2% of the patients, interstitial changes in 14.0%, and multiple bullae in 14.0% of the patients. Exertional dyspnea was more frequent in patients with pulmonary hypertension than in those without pulmonary hypertension (P<0.001). Recurrent respiratory infection were more frequent in patients with bronchiectasis than in those without bronchiectasis (P<0.001). Hypertrophic bronchial, phrenic, internal thoracic and intercostal arteries were found in 71.9%, 46.9%, 43.8%, and 43.8% of the patients, respectively. Pneumonectomy reduced hemoptysis in seven cases. Oral phosphodiesterase inhibitors or endothelin receptor antagonist improved exertional dyspnea in three cases with pulmonary hypertension.

Conclusions

Clinicians should be aware of undiagnosed cases of isolated UAPA in adults with unexplained hemoptysis or exertional dyspnea. Early recognition and management of isolated UAPA in adult patients are crucial to avoid the devastating effect of massive hemoptysis or severe pulmonary hypertension (PHT) in the long term.