• Shinjiro Mizuguchi, Kiyotoshi Inoue, Akio Kida, Masayuki Isota, Katsuaki Hige, Takanobu Aoyama, and Takumi Ishikawa.
• Departments of Thoracic Surgery, Radiology, and Cardiovascular Surgery, Bell Land General Hospital, Sakai, Osaka, Japan.
• Ann Thorac Cardiovasc Surg. 2009 Apr 1; 15 (2): 115-8.

AbstractA massive hemothorax from a ruptured bronchial artery aneurysm (BAA) is very rare. Only 12 cases of ruptured mediastinal BAA have been reported. This case study describes a 77-year-old female with bronchiectasis who presented with anemia, hypertension, hemothorax, and a mediastinal mass. A chest tube was inserted through which 2 liters of unclotted blood was drained from the left pleural cavity. An enhanced computed tomography scan revealed a ruptured 3-cm diameter mediastinal aneurysm of a bronchial artery supplying the left lower lobe. Transcatheter artery embolization (TAE) with multiple microcoils was performed successfully. Although the patient needed a transfusion, the subsequent course was uneventful. In the absence of trauma or other causes for hemothorax and mediastinal hemorrhage, the possibility of a BAA should be considered. TAE is the treatment method of choice as a minimally invasive strategy in patients with ruptured BAA.

27 keywords...

hide…