[Obstructive thrombosis of the pulmonary trunk: a rare but dangerous late complication of the banding procedure (author's transl)]

Abstract

This paper presents three cases of obstructive thrombosis of the pulmonary trunk following banding procedure. The complication was lethal for all our patients as well as for the three others reported in the literature. Considering the typical course of the complication, the relatively late onset of cyanosis or its increase in heart diseases with primary right-to-left shunt, the X-ray pictures of the thorax depicting a drastic fall of pulmonary flow, and most of all the angio-cardiographic clues for the presence of an intravasal thrombus, it appears, that the correct diagnosis could be made early enough to permit life saving surgery. The anatomical-pathological findings and the results of histological examination are reported for all three patients.