Therapeutic Advances in Respiratory Disease (Jun 2020)

A rare and fatal respiratory disease: bronchial Dieulafoy’s disease

  • Shi-xia Liao,
  • Peng-peng Sun,
  • Bang-guo Li,
  • Shuang-fei He,
  • Mao-mao Liu,
  • Yao Ou-Yang

DOI
https://doi.org/10.1177/1753466620929236
Journal volume & issue
Vol. 14

Abstract

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A 66-year-old woman had two severe episodes of massive hemoptysis without any premonitory symptoms, with approximately 400–500 ml blood each time. Bronchoscopic exam revealed a smooth and pulsatile protrusion that was approximately 8–10 mm in diameter found at the beginning of the right middle lobe bronchus in the bronchial lumen. The protrusion arose from the surface with absolutely normal mucosa. Selective bronchial arteriography showed that elongated, tortuous, and dilated branches of the bronchial artery in the region of the middle lobe bronchus. Further bronchial arterial embolization (BAE) is recommended, although the patient currently has no active bleeding. Bronchial Dieulafoy’s disease (BDD) is a rare and life-threatening disease. Selective bronchial arteriography is a diagnostic tool to detect and locate abnormal arteries. There is no unified guideline or expert consensus on the treatment of BDD. Selective BAE or surgical resection is usually used as a first-line treatment to control hemoptysis. The reviews of this paper are available via the supplemental material section .