Coronary-to-bronchial anastomosis: an unusual cause of hemoptysis

Case report: Multimodality imaging revealing ruptured giant coronary artery aneurysm presenting with hemoptysis

Giant coronary artery aneurysm (CAA) is a relatively uncommon disease that is defined by a focal dilation of at least 20 mm and characterized by various clinical symptoms. However, cases presenting primarily with hemoptysis have not been reported. A man in his late 20 s suffering from persistent chest pain for over 2 months was transferred to our emergency department for intermittent hemoptysis lasting for 12 h. Bronchoscopy detected fresh blood in the left upper lobe bronchus without a definite bleeding source. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) demonstrated a heterogeneous mass and the high-intensity signals suggested active bleeding. coronary computed tomography (CT) angiography demonstrated a giant ruptured CAA wrapped in a large mediastinal mass Coronary angiography confirmed the CAA originating from the left anterior descending artery. The patient underwent an emergency sternotomy and an enormous hematoma arising from a ruptured CAA densely adhering to the left lung was identified. The patient recovered uneventfully and was discharged on the 7th day later. The ruptured CAA masquerading as hemoptysis highlights the indispensability of multimodality imaging for accurate diagnosis. Urgent surgical intervention is desirable in such life-threatening conditions.

Congenital coronary artery anomalies for the pathologist

Congenital coronary artery anomalies are rare. Pathologists are exposed to those in mainly two settings; in association with sudden death and usually extreme exercise in young adults, and in association with complex congenital heart disease in the pediatric and perinatal population. Pediatric pathologists, other pathologists and pathologists' assistants performing pediatric or forensic autopsies therefore need to be familiar with coronary artery anomalies.

Aberrant right bronchial artery originating from right coronary artery - MDCT angiography findings

Aberrant bronchial arteries are rarely seen and may originate from various vascular structures. In our case, a 48-year-old man with recurrent chest pain underwent multidetector CT (MDCT) coronary angiography. MDCT images demonstrated an aberrant right bronchial artery originating from the right coronary artery. To our knowledge, this is the first case report of an aberrant right bronchial artery originating from the right coronary artery.

Transcatheter embolization of bronchial artery arising from left circumflex coronary artery in a patient with massive hemoptysis

It has been reported that anastomoses between the bronchial and the coronary arteries can become dilated and functional in certain diseases, provoking angina pectoris through coronary steal syndrome. The condition can be treated with endovascular or surgical management. It is possible that this abnormality may be associated with hemoptysis in patients with parenchymal or vascular disease of the lung but this condition is very rare. We present the coronary CT angiographic findings of bronchial arteries arising from the left coronary artery and their treatment with transcatheter embolization for the control of massive hemoptysis.