THERAPEUTIC EMBOLIZATION OF A SYSTEMIC ARTERIALIZATION OF LUNG WITHOUT SEQUESTRATION

We report the case of a 51-year-old man with massive haemoptysis due t o a systemic arterialization of lung without sequestration. Unlike bro nchopulmonary sequestration there was a normal bronchial distribution and the involved lung parenchyma was normal. Therefore a therapeutic t ransarterial embolization of the aberrant systemic vessel from the dis tal thoracic aorta was performed. The embolization was successful and the patient did not suffer from further haemoptysis during the subsequ ent follow-up of ten months. A postembolization aortogram 6 months lat er demonstrated a complete occlusion of the embolized aberrant artery; in the lung perfusion scan there was only a small perfusion defect, b ut normal ventilation in the embolized basal part of the left lower lo be. Our case represents an alternative treatment to surgery for this r are anomaly.