Introduction
Pulmonary artery aneurysm (PAA) is a rare condition [
1], and the precise incidence of the disease is unknown [
2]. A true aneurysm is defined by dilation of all three layers of the vessel wall. The lesion involves the pulmonary trunk and may also extend to the main branches and the peripheral pulmonary arteries. A PAA may be an accidental finding on a chest radiograph, or it may be complicated with compression of adjacent structures, dissection, rupture or thrombus.
In some patients, PAA may be associated with significant primary or secondary pulmonary hypertension, which poses a high risk of dissection and rupture [
3,
4], while low-pressure PAAs seem to be more benign [
5,
6]. As the natural history of the disease is not well understood, the treatment is often controversial. We present the cases of two patients with low-pressure PAAs that were complicated by pulmonary embolism (PE), highlighting the diagnostic approach and the management of the patients.
Discussion
These two cases demonstrate a rare anatomical entity with an unusual first clinical presentation as PE. Furthermore, the management of such cases requires individualization, according to the primary cause, whereas long-term clinical and radiological follow-up is necessary, taking into consideration the potentially fatal complications.
According to the literature, PAA is an unusual lesion which can be associated with congenital heart diseases, pulmonary artery hypertension, pulmonary valve stenosis, connective tissue diseases (such as Marfan syndrome) and vasculitis. Other causes include infections [such as tuberculosis (TBC), syphilis, bacteria or fungi], atherosclerosis, hypertension, hereditary hemorrhagic telangiectasia, cystic media necrosis, Hughes-Stovin syndrome and trauma [
2]. It seems that intrinsic weaknesses of the arterial wall in combination with increased hemodynamic stress are responsible for its formation [
3]. The clinical manifestations are non-specific, and patients may present with hemoptysis, dyspnea, chest pain, cough and evidence of left-to-right shunt. Pulmonary angiography is the gold standard for establishing the diagnosis, but new non-invasive imaging methods, such as spiral CT angiography and magnetic resonance imaging have simplified the diagnosis [
7,
8].
The role of surgery in PAA is controversial, and firm guidelines for the management of this disease do not exist. Surgical intervention is generally recommended to symptomatic patients and in patients with underlying diseases or complications, left-to-right shunt, pulmonary arterial hypertension and large aneurysm size [
2‐
4,
9‐
12]. Some authors have suggested invasive management of low-pressure PAAs when changes in right ventricular size and function resulting from pulmonary regurgitation or pulmonary stenosis are observed [
5]. However, concurrent repair of the aneurysm may not be necessary, as the risk of rupture is low, but it seems to be a logical approach in cases involving open heart surgery for pulmonary valve repair. The need for close follow-up of patients with uncomplicated PAA is also emphasized [
6].
In our first patient, no underlying pathology was found and the PAA was considered idiopathic, which is exceedingly rare. In the second patient, pulmonary valve stenosis and post-stenotic dilation could have been the pathophysiological basis of PAA development [
11]. Given the facts that percutaneous balloon valvuloplasty is the treatment of choice for pulmonary valve stenosis [
13] and that rupture of low-pressure aneurysms is rare, valvuloplasty alone appeared to be a viable management strategy.
In both patients, PAA was complicated by PE. To our knowledge, there are limited data regarding the association between low-pressure PAA and the generation of thrombi. It has been previously presumed in the literature that low-pressure PAA might be a source of recurrent emboli because of stasis and endothelial dysfunction [
14]. In our patients, no other underlying cause for the thromboembolic events was found, and the causal association between PAA and PE might thus be supported. In patients without documented PE who do not undergo surgical repair of the aneurysm, the long-term use of prophylactic anti-coagulation should be evaluated. There are limited data regarding the management of this group of patients.
Conclusion
We have presented the cases of two cases with low-pressure PAA complicated by PE. The current case report demonstrates conservative management and invasive management of two patients with idiopathic PAA and PAA secondary to pulmonary valve stenosis, respectively. As no underlying cause for PE was found in either of the patients, the embolic events seemed to be associated with low-pressure PAA. In patients with low-pressure PAA that do not respond immediately to surgical repair, further evaluation of the long-term use of prophylactic anti-coagulation is suggested.
Competing interests
The authors declare that they have no competing interests.
Authors' contributions
ES was primarily responsible for the conception, design and revision of the manuscript. MA drafted the manuscript and searched the literature. PS was responsible for manuscript editing and advice on literature review. KV was actively involved in the patients' management and revised the manuscript. SM and PP made substantial contributions to the acquisition of data. VT approved the final version of the manuscript to be published. All authors read and approved the final manuscript.