Pulmonary varix clearly demonstrated by 3D-CT before pulmonary angiography

Abstract

Pulmonary varix is a rare and usually asymptomatic localized dilation of a pulmonary vein. This disease should be distinguished from other pulmonary and mediastinal diseases, particularly pulmonary arteriovenous malformations. Herein, we encountered a case of pulmonary varix clearly demonstrated by 3-dimensional reconstructed computed tomography (3D-CT) which proved useful in its diagnosis. The 3D-CT enabled easy understanding of the vascular connections and confirmation of the absence of an inflow pulmonary artery. We also performed angiography which showed findings consistent with those obtained by the 3D-CT, thus confirming the diagnosis of pulmonary varix. After the diagnosis, the patient was followed up for several years without any treatment and she remained asymptomatic. On follow-up CT, the lesion remained unchanged.

Keywords

• Pulmonary varix
• Pulmonary arteriovenous malformations
• Pulmonary vein
• Pulmonary angiography