Pulmonary artery pseudoaneurysm after lung resection successfully treated by coil embolization

A 60-year-old man complaining of pyrexia and hemoptysis was diagnosed with a squamous cell carcinoma in his right lung. He underwent a right lower lobectomy with lymph node dissection. Following chest tube removal, he suffered from pyrexia and hemoptysis necessitating CT-scans which detected a pulmonary artery pseudoaneurysm (PAP). An emergent pulmonary arteriography was performed and the PAP was embolized with microcoils. After six years of follow-up, he has been free from recurrence of both the PAP and lung cancer. PAPs represent a rare, but life-threatening condition. Because of their risk of rupture, emergent intervention is necessary. In the past, PAPs were treated with open repair, but recent advances in endovascular surgery have allowed for a less invasive treatment. In this report, we describe an extremely rare case of PAP after lobectomy for lung cancer that was successfully treated by coil embolization. (c) 2010 Published by European Association for Cardio-Thoracic Surgery. All rights reserved.