Pulmonary vein thrombosis in patients with medical risk factors

Abstract

Pulmonary vein thrombosis in patients with medical illnesses has been rarely reported, and it is also rarely reported in those with no risk factors. We report 2 patients with pulmonary vein thrombosis, 1 with metastatic renal cell carcinoma and 1 with presumed pulmonary aspergillosis. Thrombi or tumors in a pulmonary vein are clinically important because they may cause systemic embolism or hemoptysis.

Keywords: Aspergillosis; Metastatic carcinoma; Pulmonary vein thrombosis.

Fig. 1

A 73-year-old man with renal cell carcinoma, multiple pulmonary metastases. A. Contrast-enhanced CT pulmonary angiogram, axial view, shows enlarged right superior pulmonary vein with intraluminal filling defect with configuration of thrombus extending into lumen of left atrium (arrow). Bilateral pleural effusions were shown. Multiple masses of varying sizes were scattered throughout both lung fields shown on other images utilizing lung window technique. Multiple mediastinal metastases were also shown on other images. There was no evidence of pulmonary embolism. B. Coronal image corresponding to axial image shown in A. The filling defect (arrow) extends well into the lumen of the left atrium. C. Right inferior pulmonary vein with intraluminal filling defect (arrow) that had configuration of a thrombus as well as right superior pulmonary vein intraluminal filling defect extending into lumen of left atrium.

Fig. 2

Contrast-enhanced CT pulmonary angiogram, axial view of patient with presumed pulmonary aspergillosis. Pulmonary parenchymal lesions (arrowheads) and well-circumscribed filling defect within left inferior pulmonary vein (arrow) with configuration of pulmonary vein thrombus are shown.