Embolization as a treatment of life-threatening haemoptysis in an adult with Tetralogy of Fallot with pulmonary atresia

Aim. Description of embolization as a treatment for bleeding bronchopulmonary collaterals in congenital heart disease. Methods. After palliative corrective surgery of Tetralogy of Fallot with pulmonary atresia, haemoptysis due to ruptured bronchopulmonary collaterals is a well known complication. We describe a 31 year old patient with haemoptysis after incomplete correction because of Tetralogy of Fallot with pulmonary atresia. Because supportive treatment failed, the bleeding site was localized angiographically. Collaterals emerged from the right mammary artery, several intercostal arteries and the right costobrachial truncus. Embolization of these vessels with non absorbable particles stopped the bleeding. A follow-up of more than one year was uneventful. Conclusion. Embolization of bronchial collaterals has to be considered in patients with haemoptysis due to complex congenital disorders.