Korean J Radiol.  2004 Mar;5(1):68-71. 10.3348/kjr.2004.5.1.68.

Mycotic Pulmonary Artery Aneurysm as an Unusual Complication of Thoracic Actinomycosis

• Kim HS
• Oh YW
• Noh HJ
• Lee KY
• Kang EY
• Lee SY

• KMID: 1066247
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.3348/kjr.2004.5.1.68

Abstract

Although pulmonary artery aneurysms are a rare vascular anomaly, they are seen in a wide variety of conditions, such as congenital heart disease, infection, trauma, pulmonary hypertension, cystic medial necrosis and generalized vasculitis. To our knowledge, mycotic aneurysms caused by pulmonary actinomycosis have not been reported in the radiologic literature. Herein, a case of pulmonary actinomycosis complicated by mycotic aneurysm is presented. On CT scans, this case showed focal aneurysmal dilatation of a peripheral pulmonary artery within necrotizing pneumonia of the right lower lobe, which was successfully treated with transcatheter embolization using wire coils.

Keyword

Lung, Infection; Aneurysm, Mycotic; Aneurysm, Pulmonary; Pulmonary arteries, Abnormalities

MeSH Terms

Actinomycosis/*complications
Aged
Aneurysm, Infected/*etiology/*radiography/therapy
Embolization, Therapeutic
Human
Male
Pneumonia, Bacterial/*complications
*Pulmonary Artery
Treatment Outcome

Figure

• 

  Fig. 1 A 71-year-old man with mycotic pulmonary aneurysm caused by actinomycosis. A. Chest radiograph shows focal parenchymal opacity with air-fluid level (arrow) in right upper lung zone. Pleural thickening with calcification due to previous tuberculous pleurisy is seen in left lower hemithorax. B. Contrast-enhanced CT scan shows localized area of low attenuation (closed arrows) in superior segment of right lower lobe. Note hyperenhancing nodule (open arrow) with same attenuation as that of aorta. C. Selective pulmonary angiogram of right lower lobe obtained before embolization shows peripheral pulmonary artery aneurysm (closed arrow). Feeding artery (open arrow) arises from superior segmental artery of right lower lobe. D. Angiogram obtained after placement of coils (arrow) shows occlusion of aneurysm sac. Note no detectable staining of pulmonary aneurysm.

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