Images in the Medical Sciences

摘要

Pulmonary artery aneurysm (PAA) is a rare condition and it is characterized by enlargement of the pulmonary artery or its branches. Bartter et al, in a review article, classified PAA into 2 groups: with and without arteriovenous communication. There are few reports of PAA complicated with thrombus; most of them are associated with vascu-litis. The clinical manifestations of PAA are nonspecific; most of the patients are asymptomatic, and the diagnosis is suspected when one finds a chest x-ray abnormality on routine investigation. Hemoptysis often presents in PAA of any etiology; it indicates instability and the need for intervention. Other symptoms described are dyspnea, chest pain, and cough. If there is a right-to-left shunt, clubbing, cyanosis, and central nervous system manifestations (abscess, mainly) can be found. Because the symptoms are nonspecific, the diagnosis may require more than 1 radiographic image