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. 2012 Aug;21(2):80-3.
doi: 10.4274/Mirt.7. Epub 2012 Aug 1.

Isolated left pulmonary artery agenesis: a case report

Affiliations

Isolated left pulmonary artery agenesis: a case report

Tansel Ansal Balcı et al. Mol Imaging Radionucl Ther. 2012 Aug.

Abstract

Unilateral pulmonary artery agenesis without any cardiovascular malformation is a rare anomaly. We present the imaging findings of a patient who was diagnosed as isolated left pulmonary artery agenesis. A 27-year-old female patient was admitted to our hospital due to dyspnea during exercise for five years. Chest X-ray revealed minimally small left pulmonary hilum and left lung. She was admitted to our clinic with the suspicion of pulmonary artery pathology. Absent perfusion of the left lung with normal ventilation was visualized on scintigraphy. MDCT angiography of pulmonary arteries showed absent left main pulmonary artery with systemic collaterals around left hemithorax. Pulmonary artery agenesis can be asymptomatic and isolated until adulthood. Both scintigraphy and CT angiography images of pulmonary artery agenesis of a patient are rare in the literature. Pulmonary ventilation-perfusion scintigraphy can be used not only for pulmonary embolism but also pathologies involving pulmonary artery and its branches.

Conflict of interest: None declared.

Keywords: Pulmonary artery; X-Ray computed tomography; agenesis; ventilation-perfusion scintigraphy.

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Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1. Chest radiograph shows small sized left lung and slight increase of interstitial markings on left. Right to left mediastinal shift and hypertrophic right lung is also seen
Figure 2a
Figure 2a. Anteroposterior, left and right lateral, left and right posterior oblique, left and right anterior oblique images of Tc-99m macroaggregated albumin (MAA) perfusion scintigraphy shows absent left lung perfusion
Figure 2b
Figure 2b. Anteroposterior, left and right lateral, posterior and anterior oblique images of Tc-99m DTPA aerosol ventilation scintigraphy shows minimally decreased ventilation on left lung
Figure 3a
Figure 3a. Coronary oriented maximum-intensity-projection image from CT angiography shows small left hemithorax and absence of left main pulmonary artery. Note the left subdiaphragmatic collateral branches
Figure 3b
Figure 3b. Axial oriented maximum-intensity-projection image from CT angiography shows small left hemithorax, mediastinal shift and absence of the left main pulmonary artery with left hilar bronchial artery collaterals

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