Journal of Medical Case Reports (Apr 2011)

Low-pressure pulmonary artery aneurysm presenting with pulmonary embolism: a case series

  • Papoulidis Pavlos,
  • Mantzourani Stamatia,
  • Vassiliadis Konstantinos,
  • Steiropoulos Paschalis,
  • Antoniadou Μaria,
  • Serasli Eva,
  • Tsara Venetia

DOI
https://doi.org/10.1186/1752-1947-5-163
Journal volume & issue
Vol. 5, no. 1
p. 163

Abstract

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Abstract Introduction Pulmonary artery aneurysm is an uncommon disorder with severe complications. The diagnosis is often difficult, since the clinical manifestations are non-specific and the treatment is controversial, as the natural history of the disease is not completely understood. Case presentation We describe the cases of two patients with pulmonary artery aneurysms. The first patient was a 68-year-old Caucasian man with an idiopathic low-pressure pulmonary artery aneurysm together with a pulmonary embolism. The patient preferred a conservative approach and was stable at the 10-month follow-up visit after being placed on anti-coagulant treatment. The second patient was a 66-year-old Caucasian woman with a low-pressure pulmonary artery aneurysm also presented together with a pulmonary embolism. The aneurysm was secondary to pulmonary valve stenosis. She received anti-coagulants and, after stabilization, underwent percutaneous balloon valvuloplasty. Conclusion Pulmonary embolism may be the initial presentation of a low-pressure pulmonary artery aneurysm. No underlying cause for pulmonary embolism was found in either of our patients, suggesting a causal association with low-pressure pulmonary artery aneurysm.