IDIOPATHIC PULMONARY-ARTERY ANEURYSM

The purpose of this article is to report two cases of pulmonary artery (PX) aneurysm in patients who had no evidence of left-to-right intrac ardiac shunting or other known relevant etiologies. One patient, a 52- year-old woman, was admitted to the hospital due to exertional palpita tion, while the other patient, a 73-year-old woman, came to tile hospi tal because of fever and cough. In both women, chest radiographic find ings of a hugely dilated PA were confirmed by computed tomography (CT) . In both cases, a ventriculogram showed fusiform dilatation of the ma in PA without evidence of pulmonary valve stenosis. The results of che st radiography, two-dimensional echocardiography, CT of the thorax, in cluding pulmonary angiography in one patient, were compatible with the diagnosis of PA aneurysm. No specific drug regimen was administered n or was any surgical intervention performed in either patient. Both pat ients were asymptomatic as of the last telephone follow-up. Idiopathic PA aneurysm is a benign condition with better survival than PA aneury sms of other etiologies, because of the absence of left-to-right intra cardiac shunting and significant pulmonary hypertension. PA aneurysm m ust be considered as part of the differential diagnosis in an enlarged pulmonary trunk seen on chest radiogram, and two-dimensional echocard iography should be performed initially.